Assassin Guardians
by AireSong
Summary: Assassins were considered to exist only for the Commander's orders. The perfect Assassins will be no exceptions, even if they fulfill the ultimate test. Full summary inside. Poké/Ikari/Contest/Oldrival
1. Many Schemes

I've re-written my once-most-popular story and re-posted it (Oh, I was **earlymorninglight12** and **AuthorOfHope**). I _promise_ you I will finish it this time. Please, enjoy!

Summary: _If you were an Assassin, you had no life. You were dead, existing to only follow the Commander's harsh orders. If you had a spark of life in you at all, the Commander and his ward Veil would kill you or break you. If you had a true life in you, Veil would dispose of you without a moment's thought. The perfect Assassins—Ash, Drew, Gary, and Paul—will be no exceptions, even if they fulfill the ultimate test. PokéShipping, IkariShipping, ContestShipping, OldrivalShipping._

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or the characters. I only own the story idea and whatever OC's I've created.**

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><p><strong><span>Prologue<span>**

**Many Schemes**

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><p><em>Follow my footsteps<em>

_To the darkest domain_

_A place of hatred and death_

_Of sorrow and pain_

_Here amidst the 'fire'_

_People lay_

_Their sleep disturbed_

_By the price they paid_

_Killing and slashing_

_Is what they do_

_No mercy or compassion_

_Will they give you_

_Trained from a young age_

_Their hearts are dead_

_No emotion can stir them_

_Except for dread_

_The Commander rules over all_

_A question equals death_

_No arguing; it's too late_

_It'll be your last breath_

_But a scheme is hatched_

_Or maybe two_

_And they start to unfold_

_Will they concern you?_

* * *

><p><em>"…. It points to Assassins—"<em>

_"Witnesses tell of a shadow that came and went. One man, brother to the victim, spoke of a, and I quote, 'devil of death, for angel cannot and will never describe the assassins'. A quick slash across the neck or something quick and easy in most cases. No ties to the Assassin organization is showed, and everyone wonders why the Assassins would attempt to kill both—"_

_"She was found dead in a crumpled heap at the bottom of her house's stairs. It looked as if she was stumbling for the telephone but didn't make it, thanks to what seems to be a quick-acting poison in her system. Seems to be a premeditated case and a large, bolded 'A' points to who it may be—"_

_"…The Assassin organization seem to have a knack for getting into houses and slaying their victims easily, and could do so without leaving any trace behind. But they proudly show off who they are and where they were, and the head of the Assassins meet weekly with authorities but always manages to escape. They are a tough, cunning type that always evades captu—"_

Officer Jenny sighed and turned off the T.V., frustrated. No Assassins had ever been captured that has been reported, and it seemed as if they never would.

The Assassin organization was a band of trained people and Pokémon, fierce and deadly. From what her police force had managed to uncover, they were merciless and hateful. They never missed, and their victims always were killed no matter the circumstances. Their plans were well-organized, researched, and flawlessly carried out in teams of one, two, three, or four.

The police force were searching madly for a weakness. Jenny was almost positive they've found one: the victim had to be alone. It would never do for a witness to be able to identify the Assassin, no matter how much the Assassins displayed what organization they were part of. Jenny wasn't sure if it was a true weakness, but she would hold onto that piece of information for the future.

* * *

><p>The Assassin organization was a hidden organization. Not that no one knew of them—on the contrary, they were most feared. But no one knew the other's identity unless specifically placed so in an elite team.<p>

The Commander's name was also kept secret. There was one girl, however, who the Commander had absolute trust on, and knew almost everything that the Commander knew. Her name was Veil—that is, her codename. Everyone knew her as Veil, and no one but the Commander knew her real name. She was sly, cunning, and loved to tease. Veil knew the personality of anyone just by having a conversation with them, and could tell what emotion they were feeling by studying the movements of the person. The Commander was lucky—for lack of better words—to have Veil on the Assassins' side.

There were four boys that held promise as well. The Commander had found each of them under different circumstances, taken them into the Assassin organization, and taught them the way of Assassins. Veil, then a young girl, watched from the shadows as each of the boys were trained harshly and coldly until they mastered what the Commander wanted them to be able to do. Over time, Veil befriended one, adored another, admired one, and was transfixed by the last. The Commander watched the relationships and crafted them to become beneficial for the Assassin organization.

The first one to be trained was a boy the Commander immediately named _Shadow_. Swift, deadly, and harsh. The name fit him very well. His given name was Paul. Shadow had an air of authority about him that proved well for the future years, as he became the unofficial leader of the group. Shadow was the one that Veil befriended, and even the Commander was astonished at the outcome. Veil truly could make friends with anyone, but Shadow seemed to be the exception, because of his personality—yet Veil managed to at least become 'tolerable' in Shadow's eyes, though the girl could never understand him or his way of thinking. And he didn't want her to.

The second one was named _Forest_. Besides the fact his hair and eyes were green, the name Forest was perfect for him. Each codename matched the person's personality and ways. Forest's real name was Drew. He was rather arrogant but had a sense of loyalty to the Commander that proved easy to make him become a top Assassin. He was the one that Veil admired, and it would be an understatement to say that Forest merely tolerated her.

The third boy was called _Sky_. Knowing him, the codename was easy enough to think of. Sky's real name was Ash. Sky could seem stupid, but he had sharp wits and what he lacked of intellect he made up for with instinct. He was the one Veil adored as an older brother, and Sky was good friends with her.

The last one, the one Veil was transfixed by, was named _Auburn_. The true name of Auburn was Gary. He was harsh, but had loyalty, and was cocky at times as well. The Commander knew that girls found him 'irresistible' and it seemed that even Veil was no exception. But there was a different reason why Veil was fascinated by him: she couldn't figure him out. The way he often took charge but sometimes didn't and stepped back at the most frustrating times. It wasn't as if she was infatuated with him or anything, she just wanted to overcome the obstacle, as was the Assassin's way of living.

Veil grew unfocused and thoughtful over time as she spent her moments thinking of them, which displeased the Commander—and whatever displeases the Commander would get removed. Removed, of course, meaning: executed. Killed.

But the Commander had other plans for the intriguing Gary Oak and the rest of them…while disposing of other individuals as well. But only time would tell if the Commander's brilliant scheme would be successful, and Veil, who feared for Auburn's safety, could only watch with growing dread and panic as the Commander carried out this ingenious plot.

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><p>The Commander's favorite has always been Veil. The Assassins whispered that it was both a blessing and a curse to be the favorite of the Commander, and Veil felt the cursed side all too keenly.<p>

All Assassins saw her as a tall, pretty girl with ebony hair that reached her waist. Her clothes were black, however, so it was hard to distinguish the length and how straight or raggedly it was cut. On her head was always an assortment of blood-red flowers, and around her slim waist was a white rose on a silver belt. Her eyes were ice-blue and hidden under her dark, long lashes. Veil was playful and teasing, and had a devil-may-care attitude that everyone found either annoying or captivating, or both. She was very outspoken and wanted her way. In some areas, she acted like a spoiled girl, but Veil—though it would be hard to see under her Assassin exterior—had a kind heart. But thanks to the Commander, the kind heart was hidden underneath her careless personality.

Veil felt trapped. She was always underneath the Commander's eye, and could never act how she longed to. But whenever anyone tried to recall, it seemed that Veil never went on missions. And it was true—Veil had never killed anyone in her life. Not a single person. Still, it seemed as if the Commander was biding his or her time, and Veil despaired of ever escaping the Commander's shrewd authority.

Someday, she vowed she'd find her freedom. Somehow, she'd get free. And she'd do anything to get it.

* * *

><p>The Commander was kept a secret. Of course, people talked about their commander and about who it was, but no one knew the Commander's identity, looks, or features.<p>

From what Veil herself could gather, the current Commander could be either. There was a deep voice, and short hair from the shadow Veil saw behind a thin curtain. The build was strong but undefined. No Assassin knew what the current Commander was like.

The Assassin organization had been bred on hatred and a cold malice for killing. It was founded by the first ever Commander that no one knew the name of except for the current Commander. Veil wished for knowledge, but received hardly any—and even _that_ was considered plentiful.

Thirst for information was the reason many Assassins were killed. When the Commander found out, that Assassin was quickly executed and what little information the Assassin knew was carried with them to their graves. The phrase 'a dead man tells no lies' was also used frequently in the Assassin organization.

The Assassins were feared, but the Assassins feared other things. They killed so many, but they were afraid of death—of dying. They were taught that a sacrifice was necessary in missions, and not to be afraid—but they were anyways.

Life and death. Those were the Assassin fears.

* * *

><p>"Head Officer Jenny!" A man barged into her study. "They've managed to capture an Assassin! He isn't speaking but we've disarmed him. We're ready to interview him."<p>

Officer Jenny gasped and shot up from her chair. "I'm ready, Tom."

Tom grinned and headed out the door. Jenny followed him out to the room where the captured Assassin was held.

He was chained at the ankles and the wrists to avoid him getting away or fighting to get away. His clothing was black, and his face was covered with a cloth mask that covered his entire head, face and hair. On a table which three policemen were guarding were an assortment of daggers, a small gun, and a wicked-looking, long, jagged knife. Beside it was a crimson length of silk, rather like a ribbon.

"Assassin," Tom said in commanding voice, "Tell us who you are, where the Assassin headquarters are located, and what your intent was."

The Assassin refused to answer, his head held high defiantly. Jenny noticed something.

"It's a female," she said, surprised, recognizing the way her head was held in defiance.

"Lift her head covering," Tom ordered. Another policeman did so, and Jenny found herself being gazed at by emotionless ice-blue eyes. Jenny was stunned at the depth of them.

"Talk," Jenny commanded. "At least your name."

"Victoria." The Assassin said her name in a level voice. Hair tumbled down her back when the cloth was removed. A rich shade of ebony. Beautiful, really.

"Are you telling the truth?" Tom questioned, his voice cold and expressionless.

"I have nothing to gain by lying," Victoria replied harshly. She spoke the truth.

"Answer me," Jenny said, "Why are you an Assassin?" Victoria didn't answer. "Who is the Commander?" Jenny tried. Victoria kept her mouth in a firm line, refusing to respond.

"Where is the Assassin base? Tell us, Victoria." It was Tom who took charge. Victoria laughed, but the laughter had no humor.

"If I told you, you'd attempt to go and infiltrate it, wouldn't you?" she assumed. "And you'd be killed. Every last one of you." The room grew silent.

"She makes a good argument," Jenny had to say after a few moments. Tom frowned.

"That's true. So, Victoria, we have a preposition for you," Tom suggested. Victoria looked at him. When he explained, Victoria was nodding eagerly.

"I'll do it. In exchange, I want my freedom."

"You're an Assassin," the policeman who had lifted the mask protested. "You will be charged with murder."

"Henry—" Tom said warningly. But Victoria shook her head.

"I don't know if you'll believe me, but I have never killed anyone in my life. The Commander has never sent me on assassination missions and kept me shut up in the Assassin headquarters as far as I can remember. I'm merely the Commander's messenger, and act out his orders." She scowled. "I want my freedom. I want to taste the air of a free girl."

Jenny felt sympathetic, but she wondered how far she could trust the Assassin. If Victoria's words were true, then they would be able to shut down the Assassin organization forever.

"Can we trust you?" Henry demanded.

"You can trust me. I'd kill the Commander, challenge the Commander to a battle, do anything to destroy the Assassin organization." To prove her words, she pulled out a Poké Ball from her pocket. "You can keep my Eevee here as a pact."

"Oh!" Jenny reached for the Poké Ball, and instinctively _knew_ that she could trust Victoria. "Alright."

"But before we start," Victoria said in a soft voice, "Let me tell you the truth. Every last bit of information that I know."

* * *

><p>"Veil."<p>

The Commander's voice was harsh. Veil blinked and turned around, a white rose in her hands.

"You snuck out of the Assassin headquarters and was captured by the police. And released almost immediately afterwards."

"Your spies spoke the truth," Veil replied. She wasn't afraid of the Commander at all, and at the age of eighteen stood as tall as the Commander, who seemed to be unusually short.

"You do not fear me." It wasn't a question, but a dangerous statement.

"I don't. And you can't do anything to hurt me." The Commander chuckled coldly.

"Ah, intriguing idea. Though I do know your identity."

"Yes. You can do nothing with it." Veil half-smirked, her eyes glinting. "You can't do anything to me. I have information that is crucial, and you can't kill me. So you can't do anything."

"You're incorrect." The Commander spoke, undaunted. "But your loyalty has disappeared, Veil."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Veil said softly. "I'm still loyal." The Commander took a swift step forward and held a dagger to her throat. Veil closed her eyes briefly and opened them again as she continued her explanation. "I'm still loyal. I won't betray you. You know I speak the truth."

"Yet you would kill me when you get the chance."

"An Assassin is unpredictable," Veil replied coolly. "You said so yourself."

The Commander sheathed the dagger. "You passed the test. I'm proud of you."

"Empty words," Veil sneered.

"Very well. Until we talk again, Veil." The Commander turned and walked out the door, and Veil ran to it, slamming it closed and locking it with shaking hands.

Her brave front could only last so long. She collapsed onto her bed, trembling in fear. Though her words were true, the Commander _could_ kill her, and she knew it.

But she also spoke the truth. Veil wouldn't betray the Commander or the Assassins, and she hadn't betrayed them in the least.

There are other ways of bringing the Assassin organization down—and Veil had her own plan. Partially following Officer Jenny's plan, she formed her own arrangement, and turned to the only few she could trust.

She lifted her communicating device and contacted them.

"Guys," she whispered, "I'm going to be needing a few favors." She explained rapidly in a hushed voice that no one could hear unless they were listening very closely or standing very close to her.

_"I'm on it, Victoria."_

* * *

><p>"The Commander has ordered you to come to the study," Veil sang out to the Ice-types.<p>

"What? Already?" Sky asked, surprised.

"What do you mean, already?" Auburn questioned his friend.

"He's probably talking about the mission that matches against you and proves how loyal to the Assassin organization you are," Veil replied. Her face was carefully blank, but her eyes were haunted, as if she was scared and was trying to warn them.

The Ice-types were stunned to see the fear in her eyes. Veil was _never_ scared. Ever.

"Well, let's go," Forest said, getting up.

"Be careful," Veil whispered, but Shadow caught it and stared at her quizzically for a moment.

_Be careful of what?_

* * *

><p>"Ah, Ice-types. Good to see you," the Commander greeted. They couldn't see the Commander since he or she was behind a thick curtain.<p>

"What did you call us for?" Auburn asked evenly.

"Your mission, of course," the Commander replied. "This is the mission that will prove your loyalty to the Assassin organization."

"What is it?" Forest inquired.

"One at a time to make it easier," the Commander ordered. "Auburn, you first."

Veil led Auburn into another room that they all knew was soundproof.

"Oh, and Veil?" The Commander's voice stopped her when she was going back. "I want you to stay."

Veil's eyes widened slightly, but she followed after Auburn regardless of the fright that showed clearly across her face.

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><p>The Ice-types were back in their room after the Commander had spoken to each of them separately.<p>

"Now we tell each other what our missions are," Shadow said.

"I'll go first," Forest volunteered. "As I'm sure all you know, we're to go to Darkstone Academy and kill these four—"

"Hey, where's Pikachu?" Sky interrupted. "I swear he was on my bed." He looked around for his Pokémon.

"He's underneath your bed right now," Auburn informed Sky.

"As I was saying," Forest continued, acting as if Sky had never interrupted, "We're to go to Darkstone Academy and kill four boys that I've never heard of."

"We're to be students there, but we don't have to pay attention during classes," Sky added with a grin.

"Eventually, we kill them, and we stick around until the Commander calls us back," Shadow finished.

"Fun," Auburn concluded. "Really easy."

_Oh, if only you knew how wrong you are,_ Veil thought desperately outside the room, listening in on their conversation.

"I hope my plan works," Veil whispered to herself.

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><p>Well, what do you think?<p>

Give me your opinions in your reviews—I'm begging you! Don't just say "I like this chapter" or "This chapter was good" or something similar to that: please take the time to tell me what you like, what you didn't like, what seems interesting, and share your views on this chapter and where it seems to be going! A good review does wonders on my motivation!

Well, the second chapter will be up soon! And it will involve more development of the three schemes…I wonder what will happen, and who will get caught between. I hope you love it!

So…please review!


	2. Suspicions and Assumptions

Sorry for the long wait, I had a sudden vacation and my computer crashed -_-

Okay, so, I just wanted to make it clear that I've lost my Pokémon fan-spirit (is that a phrase?). I don't like Pokémon with the same excitement as I used to, though I'm still fond of it, and so the characters _might_ be out of character and the plot line might not seem to work very well. This is my opinion, I'm glad if you don't think so. I will finish this story, if only for your guys' sakes, but I'm afraid it might disappoint you guys. I will do my utmost best to keep the story within Pokémon boundaries, I promise.

Summary: _If you were an Assassin, you had no life. You were dead, existing to only follow the Commander's harsh orders. If you had a spark of life in you at all, the Commander and his ward Veil would kill you or break you. If you had a true life in you, Veil would dispose of you without a moment's thought. The perfect Assassins—Ash, Drew, Gary, and Paul—will be no exceptions, even if they fulfill the ultimate test. PokéShipping, IkariShipping, ContestShipping, OldrivalShipping._

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or the characters. I only own the story idea and whatever OC's I've created. Oh, and I apologize for any OOC (out of character) scenes.**

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><p><strong><span>Chapter One<span>**

**Many Suspicions**

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><p><strong>Last chapter…<strong>

_"Eventually, we kill them, and we stick around until the Commander calls us back," Shadow finished._

_"Fun," Auburn concluded. "Really easy."_

Oh, if only you knew how wrong you are_, Veil thought desperately outside the room, listening in on their conversation._

_"I hope my plan works," Veil whispered to herself._

* * *

><p>"I'm nervous," a girl admitted to herself. Her wavy, waist-length, dark ginger hair was neatly put in a braid, and she held herself stiffly in the cold, nighttime air.<p>

"That's not helping my apprehension," her companion complained, fidgeting from side to side. Her hair was underneath a red and white bandana. It was a light brown that was split to either side and brushed her shoulders.

"Mine either," another girl muttered, shaking her head and causing her midnight blue hair to whip back and forth, hitting the girl beside her.

"Relax, guys," the last one murmured. "Just wait." Her chestnut brown hair was loose and reached nearly to her knees, and her moss-green eyes flickered uneasily.

"Leaf, how can I relax? I've never been one of the people to greet the new students before!" the third girl complained, her sapphire eyes dark with annoyance. "Actually, we're the only students to greet the new ones!" _That's not the only fear but still one of them._

"_Actually,_ I think our fear is a little stupid," the first girl interrupted. "We're just greeting new guys." _Sort of._

"Yeah, right," the second snapped. "These are sent from that military school, ya know?" _Steady, keep a front up…_

_Military school?_ Veil tried not to giggle. _Couldn't they think of anything better to cover up the harsh, 'bad boy' images? And they seem really scared. Sillies._

"Military school? Talk about stupid," Leaf said self-assuredly with a laugh. "Don't be afraid. This _is_ dumb. Worried about just greeting four guys. No big deal." _That's right…_

"Like, _whatever_," the sapphire-eyed girl responded, seeing their anxiousness in a new light. _In a way_. "You're right."

"Good to see you back to yourself, Dawn," Leaf grinned. "Thanks for the back-up, Misty," she told the ginger-haired girl.

"No prob. So, May, you see how it's nothing to be nervous or apprehensive about now?" Misty asked the brown-haired girl.

"Yeah. But why do _we_ have to greet them when the teachers can do that fine on their own?" May asked, slightly angry. _Good front, girl._

"Hey! This is Darkstone Academy, right?" a boy called out to a companion, hidden in the dark of the forest in front of them.

"Oh, look," Misty giggled, "Speak of the devil."

The four boys emerged from the shadows that seemed to cover the academy grounds.

"_Devils_," Dawn stressed, a strange undertone to her voice. "Plural." The tone of voice to Dawn's words made the girls stand straighter and stiffer.

"This is Darkstone Academy, right?" a boy repeated, his scruffy black hair a mess underneath his red cap.

"That's right," Misty replied. "You're the boys who are attending this school?"

"Apparently," another boy answered shortly, his gaze cold.

"Well, you could be a little nicer, ya know!" Dawn protested, glaring at him. He simply glared back, his eyes boring into hers.

_Nice tact, Dawn,_ Veil sighed to herself.

"You know, Dawn, you could be a little—" Leaf began.

"Can we show them the boys' dorm already?" May interrupted. "I still wish the teachers or some other girls who have nothing to do could've greeted them. I want a snack!"

"Maybe someone prettier could have greeted us," a boy smirked, his emerald eyes glowing. May's teal eyes grew angry.

"What do you mean, prettier?" she shouted at him. His handsome expression remained smug as he flicked his light green hair to the side.

"More beautiful than you, of course."

"You're such an arrogant jerk for a newcomer," May spat, her eyes fiery.

"I think May has a point," Misty said. "In showing them the boys' dorm, that is," she said hurriedly, not wanting to offend them.

"Please," the boy with spiky auburn hair agreed. Leaf eyed him.

"Oh!" She gave a gasp. "Do you…I mean…" Leaf covered her mouth in embarrassment. "Uh, sorry."

"The name's Gary." He grinned at her wearily. "Please, show us where we'll be staying. I'm tired."

_Hey, he's telling the truth_, Veil observed with surprise. _About him being tired, and his name! Did the Commander tell them to keep their names?_

"Of course," Leaf responded calmly. "It's that gray building over there." She pointed behind her where a gray dormitory was a few yards away.

"Thank Ho-oh it's close," the raven-haired boy sighed, picking up the bags and running towards it.

"You gotta wait for us, Ash!" Gary yelled.

"Yeah right!" Ash shouted back. "I'm more tired than you are!"

"Goodbye." Misty waved, stifling a giggle.

* * *

><p>"I wonder why the Commander told us to use our real names," Gary mused, laying on his back on the plain white bed.<p>

Ash, on the bed on the other side, shrugged. "I don't know why. Who knows. To throw someone off track, maybe?"

"You think the Commander is plotting something?" Gary asked. "Against us?"

Ash propped himself up by the elbows and looked over at his friend. "Why? We're loyal."

"Are we?" Gary said absently, staring at the ceiling.

"You're telling me you're not?"

"I'm eighteen years old. I've been with the Assassins since I was five. I know more than I let on, Ashy-boy."

"You're telling me this why?" he asked, ignoring the nickname in favor of his curiosity.

"Because you're my best friend and as much as it sounds stupid, I trust you."

"That totally goes against Assassin rules." Ash chuckled, and Gary laughed as well.

"Well, I'm just like Veil—I don't exactly follow the rules."

"'Exactly?'" Ash repeated. "How often do you stray from these rules?"

"As much as Veil does." Ash's brow furrowed.

"That's a lot, and probably _way_ more than what I'm thinking."

"I know." Gary pulled out an empty Poké Ball and was absently playing with it. "But I still wonder sometimes."

"About?" Ash questioned curiously. He was perfectly content to stare up at the ceiling and talk. Pikachu was curled up by Ash's head.

"The Commander's identity," Gary replied bluntly. "And the identity of Veil."

"Why Veil?" Ash rolled over onto his stomach.

"She's too close to the Commander," Gary sighed. "Why else?"

"Good point," Ash conceded.

"When do I _not_ have a good point?" Gary demanded playfully, throwing the Poké Ball to his friend, who caught it—merely by accident.

"When you don't have one," Ash, the oh-so smart one, responded, throwing it back artfully—also by chance.

Gary caught it and pressed the button to shrink it down to its little size before pocketing it once more. He leaned back and sighed.

* * *

><p>Veil turned around from facing a window and came face-to-face with one of the people she had recruited for help.<p>

"What is it?" Veil asked. The person facing her looked calm and composed, just like Veil. Well, that person _was_ trained—this person was an expert. Though young, she was an experienced and professional detective—and policewoman.

"You know it all," the person replied. Multi-colored eyes were bright with determination. "After all, you were there. They were using their real names."

"I have a feeling the Commander is trying to scare me," Veil said, chuckling humorlessly. The other person smiled slightly in agreement, tossing her hair behind her shoulders.

"But to what end? Why?" the young woman asked. "You've told us everything, but there has to be a reason the Commander is trying to throw you off balance."

"He thinks I've betrayed him so he's trying to get me to make a mistake," Veil answered. "But I won't. Not with all of this at stake."

* * *

><p>It was night. The streets were illuminated brightly by the streetlights, and it was nearly impossible to see the stars and the half-moon in the sky.<p>

Inside a building, Officer Jenny was rethinking her decided weakness of the Assassins. She had thought that the weakness was that the victim had to be alone—which was a pathetic weakness, Jenny had to admit. Instead, she was thinking hard for a solution. The weakness was there. It _had_ to be. But it was only along the lines of them.

Her eyes widened as she reached the only conclusion. She pounded her fist down on the desk in front of her, shocking awake Tom, who had fallen asleep as he had tried to reach a similar solution.

"Did you find something, Officer Jenny?" Tom asked, sheepishly putting his blue hat back on his head.

"I most certainly did, Tom." Jenny's eyes were sparkling with excitement. "I found the weakness!"

Tom jolted up in his seat and faced her with delight on his face. "May I know what it is, Officer Jenny?" he asked, trying to contain his exhilaration, his embarrassment over himself falling asleep disappearing.

"Of course you can!" Jenny exclaimed elatedly. "Tom, what other reason could the Assassins have to hide their identity from others?"

Tom scratched his dark brown hair, confused. "Uh…so no one can identify them?" he offered, puzzled at how the conversation was going.

"Precisely." Officer Jenny smoothed back her hair as she continued. "Why would they care if someone identified them?"

"Uh…"

"If they lived at the Assassin headquarters like we had all assumed," Jenny answered her own question, "It wouldn't matter. The Commander of the Assassins is always masked when he or she goes out, and he or she is already hidden in the headquarters. But why would the others need to hide their identity?"

"Um…"

"Tom! Try and figure this out!" Jenny was overjoyed. She answered her own question again.

"They need to hide their identity because _they live among us as normal people!"_

* * *

><p>Paul felt a vibration in his pocket and pulled his communication device out.<p>

"Commander?" Paul asked into the device. Drew stiffened and he listened to what Paul was saying.

"Veil isn't—? I see…" Paul paused for a moment. "No, I haven't seen her." Drew looked to his companion with confusion on his face.

"Have you see Veil?" Paul inquired. Drew's face grew puzzled.

"Veil? No, I haven't seen her." He went to the next room (connected by a door) and called, "Have any of you guys seen Veil since we left?"

"No, I haven't," Ash and Gary yelled back.

"So, no, we haven't seen her," Paul confirmed. "Why, is she missing?" He paused again. Then his eyes widened as the Commander continued talking. Drew felt anxious at seeing expression on his friend's face. Very rare.

_Uh-oh_, Drew couldn't help but think.

"We'll keep a lookout," Paul promised, and pressed the 'end call' button.

"What happened?" Ash asked, poking his head through the door.

"Veil is missing, and she seems to have betrayed us," Paul answered bluntly.

"Veil betrayed us?" Gary's gasp was clearly heard. "But she was so close to the Commander!"

"She _seems_ to have betrayed us," Paul corrected, his dark eyes giving no emotion, as if he could care less about how Veil's status was.

"She did?" Gary looked shocked. "Veil wouldn't betray us. I know she wouldn't. She's much, much too loyal to the Commander."

"The Commander seemed very convinced of so," Paul reminded him. "But you're right. She doesn't seem…mature enough."

"Mature enough?" Ash repeated. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Long story," Paul grumbled. Though it didn't seem obvious, he almost seemed to be…holding something back.

_Did Veil really betray us? Are we going to get killed?_ Drew wondered, a cold feeling of fear sweeping through him.

If Veil truly did deceive even the Commander, she must have been really smart—and close by. Drew would keep his eyes open to see if he could spot the independent girl, for she was most likely nearby…and if he knew her, which he did, she wasn't just lounging around.

No, she was plotting.

* * *

><p>"Live among us as normal people?" Tom echoed. "Huh?"<p>

"Tom, you're dampening my spirit," Jenny complained. "But don't you see? If someone truly saw who the Assassin was, chances are it was their next door neighbor."

"That Assassin girl didn't tell us that," Tom remarked.

Jenny touched the Poké Ball on her desk lightly. She had checked, before they had let the girl free, that there really _was_ an Eevee inside the Poké Ball. Though Jenny trusted the girl—Veil, as she insisted them calling her—it never hurt to make sure before placing full trust in an Assassin.

"Perhaps she has some feeling of loyalty," Jenny sighed. "Time will tell."

"I don't know about you, Officer Jenny, but I value my life," Tom said. "Are you sure we can trust Veil?"

"I am positive," Jenny said firmly. "And we don't have just Veil working on this plan. Others that I am more-than-positive that I can trust are on this job."

"True," Tom conceded. "Very well. I still have some doubt, but I agree with your statement."

"How can you not," Jenny asked with a smile, "When you've guaranteed the trust of two of the few chosen?"

Tom allowed himself to smile back. "You've had me cornered again, Jenny."

"And I'll always do it to tell you your place," Jenny commanded, her business-like air returning. "Tom, go and check upon the news."

"Of course, Officer Jenny," Tom agreed, bowing and leaving the room.

"This plan cannot fail," Jenny growled to herself, her doubts returning. "We are counting on them."

* * *

><p><em>"Veil wouldn't betray us. I know she wouldn't. She's much, much too loyal to the Commander."<em>

Veil listened to the Ice-types' conversation with satisfaction. So, the Commander was worried, huh?

"Oh, Gary, Gary," Veil smirked, thanking Arceus that the detectives had planted a bug in the boys' room. "Oak, you have faith in me. Well, I wouldn't want to let you down."

She pressed the off button on the device that was connected to the bug. "And you won't be disappointed. Well, not too disappointed." A grin of triumph graced her pretty face. "Gary Oak, you are in for one heck of a ride."

* * *

><p>Well? What do you think? Please, again, take the time to give a thoughtful review and tell me what you thought of the characters!<p>

So…who do you think will enter the story next as the police 'chosen' people?

Who was that multi-colored-eyed girl?

Will the boys succeed in killing their victims, and who _are_ the victims?

Which side will Veil/Victoria choose in the long run?

What was Veil talking about at the end?

Why am I asking you since I already know everything and love to tease you guys? Haha. Please answer!


	3. Arrival Introduction

... I'm not even gonna apologize for disappearing. I know that sounds empty. 'Cause I've said that tons of times before. But I was seriously struggling with school and life and writer's block, which sounds worse than it is. Writing is a part of me. And if I lose it, I lose myself. And I guess I was just trying to regain my writing ability.

AND I'VE FOUND IT! Alright, expect somewhat more regular updates now =P

Summary: _If you were an Assassin, you had no life. You were dead, existing to only follow the Commander's harsh orders. If you had a spark of life in you at all, the Commander and his ward Veil would kill you or break you. If you had a true life in you, Veil would dispose of you without a moment's thought. The perfect Assassins—Ash, Drew, Gary, and Paul—will be no exceptions, even if they fulfill the ultimate test. PokéShipping, IkariShipping, ContestShipping, OldrivalShipping._

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or the characters. I only own the story idea and whatever OC's I've created. Oh, and I apologize for any OOC (out of character) scenes.**

**P.S.: I've also held this story off because I received a REALLY good suggestion a while back that I regret. That person said that there should've been a co-ed Assassin group instead of boys vs. girls as typical fanfictions are. I really wish I did that! So that's another reason that I didn't want to continue. But that same person said that I should just go with my idea for this story, and use that in another story. So... Stay tuned? ;)**

**P.P.S: FIRST PERSON TO REVIEW AND REMEMBER ME GETS A SPECIAL TREAT. AND NOT A VIRTUAL COOKIE. AN ACTUAL TREAT. ^-^**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

**Many Assumptions**

* * *

><p><em>She pressed the off button on the device that was connected to the bug. "And you won't be disappointed. Well, not too disappointed." A grin of triumph graced her pretty face. "Gary Oak, you are in for one heck of a ride."<em>

* * *

><p>"Welcome the new student, Paul Shinji," Fantina Melissa, Dawn's homeroom teacher, introduced in her lilting voice.<p>

The tall seventeen-year-old stood at the front of the class, his hands in his pockets and his onyx eyes cold and staring straight ahead at the class - almost as if he was _daring_ them to challenge his attitude. Dawn, despite herself, almost giggled. He was easier to understand than she had originally thought the night before. Maybe she could possibly befriend him after all...?

"Tell us a little about yourself, Paul," Ms. Melissa suggested, extending her arm in a flourish to indicate the rest of the class.

_What is this, elementary school?_ Paul thought with irritation. "I have nothing to say," he said instead.

Ms. Melissa looked taken aback, but recovered instantly. "V-very well. Take a seat beside Dawn Berlitz. Dawn, please raise your hand."

Dawn lifted her hand and gave him a wave.

"So I have to sit next to _stupid girl_," Paul muttered in annoyance as he took a seat and placed his bag on the hooks at the side of the desk.

"Hey, I heard that!" Dawn retorted in a low voice, her laughter gone. "I'm not stupid, and I have a name! It's _Dawn_."

"Whatever, troublesome."

Dawn's sapphire eyes widened in shock. "I just sai-" she began in a loud voice, and Ms. Melissa heard.

"Ms. Berlitz!" she snapped. "Enough!"

Dawn ducked her head immediately. "That's the first time I've ever been in trouble in class," she whispered to herself. "What is with him?"

* * *

><p>"Oh, I'm nothing special, really," Drew Hayden explained to the class with an air of casualty.<p>

May gritted her teeth at the arrogance that almost literally permeated the air around the seventeen-year-old. Every girl's eyes were hearts as they gazed steadfastly at the new student.

"I hope that you'll take care of me," he finished, flashing a winning smile and flicking his hair to the side, an action that May had easily noted as his signature move.

It worked, apparently - as every girl had her heart stolen by him already, and it had only been five minutes.

"What kind of guy is he?" May's childhood friend, Brendan Birch, mumbled next to her. "He's such a... Jack-"

"Mr. Birch!" Flannery Asuna, May's homeroom teacher, lashed out. "No such talk against the new student!"

"Not her, too," May groaned.

"Drew," Ms. Asuna mentioned, switching tones easily, "There's an empty seat in front of May Maple. May-"

"No need, I know Maple," Drew interjected smoothly. "Thank you, Ms. Asuna."

May flinched as everyone turned her way. "Hayden," she growled as the said boy took a seat in front of her and pulled out his notebook, "I'm going to _kill_ you."

She didn't notice the smirk that crossed Drew's face as she spoke.

* * *

><p>"Hi! I'm Ash Ketchum!" Ash introduced excitedly. "I love Pokemon and I can't wait to start the new school year!"<p>

The class either laughed or sweat-dropped in response. Misty was one of the few who did both. She wasn't exactly sure what to make of him. His friends were strange, but Ash seemed... Almost normal.

"And I'm Gary Oak. Pleased to meet you all," Gary added, winking.

You could fairly hear the "Kyaaah!"s that broke out at the sight of the handsome seventeen-year-old's wink. And the thick tension of envy from the guys.

"They're weird," Leaf giggled. She sat in the direct middle of the classroom.

"Leaf Green!" Sabrina Natsume, their homeroom teacher, called. "Would you mind showing these two around? Pick a friend to help as your partner."

"Of course, Ms. Natsume," Leaf agreed. She looked around the class. Every girl was practically begging to be chosen. "Misty?"

"Yeah, sure." Misty didn't look fazed at the glares the other girls shot her way.

"Good. Gary, Ash, pick any empty seat." Ms. Natsume turned to the board. "I have to take attendance."

There were three empty seats. Two by the window, one behind the other, and the remaining one was beside Misty, who sat in the front corner of the room.

To Misty's relief, the two boys chose the seats by the window.

"They look so out of place here," Misty said to herself thoughtfully. Then she realized why.

They were the only students in the class who wore black.

* * *

><p>"I can't <em>believe<em> it!" Dawn ranted at lunch. "He's in _every single one of my classes_!"

"Calm down, Dawn, he can't be _that_ bad, is he?" Marina Blue, one of the friends who sat at her lunch table, asked.

"_Yes he is_!"

"Not as bad as Drew!" May snapped. "That guy's a _jerk!_"

Misty and Leaf exchanged glances. "Hey, you guys," they began at the same time.

"We have to show Ash and Gary around. Is that alright if they sit with us?" Leaf inquired on her own.

"Yeah, of course," Dawn agreed, visibly returning to normal. "They haven't done anything to us as of yet."

Misty smiled. "Good going, Dawn!" She waved the two guys over.

Paul watched from a table a distance off. "Is this wise?" he muttered to himself.

"Well, hey, we're seventeen," Drew defended. "We can have a social life, can't we?"

_Not when we're Assassins..._

* * *

><p><em>"Veil. Any report?"<em> Officer Jenny's voice sounded strained. _"There have been several civilian killings recently in just one area."_

"I'm working on it," Veil promised. "There's no threat here as of yet. I'll see what I can do to stop it."

_"I'm serious, Veil. Some of the police of my own force have been killed. The Assassins need to-"_

The signal crackled off.

"Jenny?" Veil said in confusion.

_"So this is what you've been up to... Veil. I am not pleased."_

Veil's multi-colored eyes widened.

* * *

><p>Alright, that's my update! Except another one within the week, I swear!<p>

Thanks for reading this, if anyone of you are. Again, first one to reply gets a treat - something to do with the next chapter ;) Please review! The more reviews I get, the more motivated I am for continuing! =P


	4. Conflicts

Like I promised, here's another update! (Aren't you proud of me? :P Jaykayyy)

Summary: _If you were an Assassin, you had no life. You were dead, existing to only follow the Commander's harsh orders. If you had a spark of life in you at all, the Commander and his ward Veil would kill you or break you. If you had a true life in you, Veil would dispose of you without a moment's thought. The perfect Assassins—Ash, Drew, Gary, and Paul—will be no exceptions, even if they fulfill the ultimate test. PokéShipping, IkariShipping, ContestShipping, OldrivalShipping._

Uh, random A/N: I wrote this when I was way younger, honestly... Like, two years ago? And I cringe when I look back at how immature and unrealistic my writing was -_- Back when I first wrote all my Pokemon stories - like, on the earlymorninglight12 account - I knew basically nothing of romance. All I knew was from what my friends had laughed about and all the stories I've read, both in books and fanfictions. Not to mention I knew nothing of drama, of reality, of lifestyles, and of how life can really treat you, haha. But now I know a little better, so I hope this story and all my future stories will improve. Thanks for reading!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or the characters. I only own the story idea and whatever OC's I've created. Oh, and I apologize for any OOC (out of character) scenes.**

****Thanks, LeafxGreenx3, for being the first to review! As promised, this chapter is dedicated to you~ And of course, that scene I promised you as well! (Forgive me if it's not as good as you'd like it to be *bows*) Bear with me here, I'm kinda on a dry spell already -_-****

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Chapter Three<strong>**

****~Many Conflicts~****

* * *

><p><em>Paul watched from a table a distance off. "Is this wise?" he muttered to himself.<em>

_"Well, hey, we're seventeen," Drew defended. "We can have a social life, can't we?"_

Not when we're Assassins...

* * *

><p><em>The signal crackled off.<em>

_"Jenny?" Veil said in confusion._

"So this is what you've been up to... Veil. I am not pleased."

_Veil's multi-colored eyes widened._

* * *

><p>"Gahhh! I <em>hate<em> that new kid!"

_Crash._

"He's so annoying! So arrogant! So full of himself!"

_Thud._

"He's such a jerk! I hate him!"

_Shatter._

Leaf watched in amusement from the top bunk, safely out of reach from the flying projectiles, braiding Dawn's hair to pass the time.

"He needs to go die in a hole!"

_Crash._

"May?" Dawn finally ventured from her seat next to Leaf. "Can you not throw anything anymore?"

Yup, you guessed it. May was venting.

"Jeez, calm down, May," Misty laughed. Her hand flew up to block the pillow thrown at her, causing the redhead to laugh even harder. "It's just some guy. Anyone would think that you liked him!"

The room was so silent that you could hear May's jaw drop.

_"WHAT! AS IF! MISTY!"_

"Well, who knows," Leaf offered helpfully from above. She winked at May. "You can admit it! It's just us," she reminded.

"Ooh! Yes! And we can help set them up!" Dawn exclaimed excitedly.

May glared. "Are none of you hearing me? I. Don't. Like. Jerks!"

"Could've fooled me," Misty teased.

"_I'm gonna kill you, Misty!"_

* * *

><p>"Seriously you guys?" Paul said in disbelief.<p>

"What? They showed us around the school," Ash defended.

"We're here to assassinate those four guys mentioned," Drew snapped. He was at the end of the line. He hadn't expected all the girls to converge on him so easily like that. "_Not_ have fun."

"We just got here," Gary retorted. "We'll start the lookout tomorrow."

Drew rolled his eyes and fell back onto the bottom bunk bed. "Finally. I just want to get out of here. The sooner the better."

Ash began pulling out papers from his bag, and the three guys stared. "What?" Ash asked. "My teacher assigned homework."

"... Ashy-boy is doing _homework_?" Gary's jaw dropped.

"Yeah, we need to get out of here fast," Paul grumbled, turning away.

Drew was silent for a few minutes. "Do we need to obey the Commander?" he said quietly.

"Huh?" Ash dropped his pencil. "Why wouldn't we?"

Gary and Paul didn't speak; they instead looked at Drew intently.

"Haven't you ever thought about the normal life we could have if we didn't kill?" Drew answered, staring straight up. "Why did we become Assassins anyways? What's the point? We don't even need to kill - it's not for us. We're like Pokemon with no will - listening to our Trainer, the Commander, who insists on unnecessary bloodshed."

* * *

><p><em>"So this is what you've been up to... Veil. I am not pleased."<em>

Veil's eyes were wide and she immediately threw the communication device against the wall, shattering it to pieces.

Was he onto her? Did he know what he was doing?

He probably was.

Veil took a moment to calm herself. She knew the Commander well enough to know that he probably already knew what she was doing. After all, it was known to everyone that Veil was unpredictable in her loyalty.

"Veil?"

The said young woman turned around and smiled shakily. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize. What's your next course of action?"

Veil crossed over and picked up the crackling pieces of what was once the communication device. "I can't think right now."

"Then..." The speaker crossed her arms in front of her chest as she thought. "About the four guys. Will you leave them to die, or try to save them?"

"I can't take care of that right now. I think it's best if you take care of that, Platinum."

"Alone?" Platinum asked, sounding reluctant.

"If need be, take Sapphire," Veil sighed.

"So you plan to save them." Platinum gazed out the window at the gray building towering in the night's darkness.

"In all honesty, it's such a bother. But I suppose it's for the best." Veil turned and dumped the pieces into the wastebasket. "This conversation is over."

Platinum left, visibly worried. _Veil hasn't told me what she's going to do next,_ the young woman thought in concern._  
><em>

Then she shook it off. It made no difference to her. She answered to Veil. She would just stick with her own task.

* * *

><p>Leaf entered her fourth period class with Dawn and May, and they each took their seats quietly. They had drama for fourth period, and their teacher was none other than Ms. Melissa.<p>

"We'll be performing a play for the entire academy," Ms. Melissa announced. "It is open for everyone, but you, as my drama class students, are allowed to have their first picks and preferred choices."

"Sounds interesting," Leaf said thoughtfully to herself. She loved to act, so the prospect seemed fun.

"We're performing the classic tale, the_ Luvdisc Lovers_," Ms. Melissa continued. "Have any of you read the novel?"

A show of hands went up, Leaf and Misty among them. The_ Luvdisc Lovers_ was a favorite of theirs, and Darkstone Academy had been founded by the author of the renown book.

"Good," Ms. Melissa noted in satisfaction that the number was over half. "For those of you who haven't read it, the story tells about a somewhat freelance young man named Chevalier. He wasn't the rich playboy type - he was more the gallant young prince, though he often used his wealth and reputation as somewhat of an attraction and considered himself above the others.

"However, that was before he was mixed up in some gang actions. If he was caught, he would be done for. He was no longer the wealthy Chevalier. He was now Stone, the feared murderer. He, if found, would be executed on the spot. That was the magnitude of his actions."

"This is a cheerful story," Gary muttered from the back. Drew was seated beside him, a contemplative look on his face. Paul was sitting further to the side, staring straight ahead.

"I don't understand how it connects to the title," a girl from the front said, confused.

"Chevalier's 'gang' dealt with Pokemon smuggling and killing for what Pokemon either had or contained," Ms. Melissa went on. "The true drama of the story starts when Chevalier is assigned to steal and then slay the Shiny Luvdisc in the care of a young woman a few years his junior, for its lovely golden color that's rare on its own. He tries to win Vevina over, and of course, he finds himself falling for her. Vevina was an innocent, pure young woman who had a heart of gold - similar to the Luvdisc. And that's how it all started.

"Eventually, Chevalier tries to protect Vevina from the rest of the gang's knowledge. He stalls for as long as he can, attempting to hunt down another Shiny Luvdisc that wouldn't endanger Vevina, and enlists the help of three of his friends. However, Vevina finds out that he's a Dark gang member, and she can't face him. He lets her go, but then one of Chevalier's friends is notified that Vevina's existence is known to the gang, and since she still carried the Luvdisc with her, she's attacked and fatally injured. But Chevalier attacks back.

"The story ends with Vevina dying. She gives Chevalier her Luvdisc, and tells him what the Luvdisc symbolizes. Chevalier insists that if the Luvdisc's meaning was true, then Vevina wouldn't die. She only smiles. Chevalier throws Luvdisc's Poke Ball against the building of the alley and kills himself. The two of them are found with the Shiny Luvdisc silent in-between them, and a monument is created in a nearby graveyard - the Luvdisc Lovers." Ms. Melissa finished.

"Sounds awesome!" Dawn and Leaf chorused.

Ms. Melissa turned to them, a radiant smile on her face. "Well, girls, what do you say?" she asked. "What parts would you like?"

She handed out the sheets of paper that listed all the parts and the descriptions. Immediately, Leaf's hand flew up in the air.

"Ms. Green?"

"Can I audition for the part of Vevina?"

The whole class went silent, and Gary got a funny look on his face that only Drew and Paul noticed.

"Of course!" Ms. Melissa answered at once.

"Then, Ms. Melissa?" Gary's voice called out from the back. "I want to audition for Chevalier."

Everyone immediately turned to look at Leaf and Gary.

Or rather... Vevina and Chevalier?

* * *

><p>"I'm going to audition for the part of Chantal," Dawn mused, looking over the page in her next class.<p>

"Ooh, who's that?" May asked, turning around from her seat in front of the blunette.

"We're going to perform the _Luvdisc Lovers_," Dawn explained to May. "Leaf says she's going to try out for Vevina. Guess what?" She was vividly excited.

"What?"

"_Gary Oak wants the part of Chevalier!"_

May's eyes widened. "Whoa, so the two of them will be lovers onstage?"

* * *

><p>"Is this wise?" Paul asked Gary a few days later.<p>

"What's wrong with it? Not like the Commander's gonna kill me for this," Gary said in an off-hand way. He looked to Paul as if he was daring him to say otherwise.

Paul kept silent.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry, that was a pretty lame filler chapter... I kinda lost inspiration for this chapter after a few personal problems occurred -_- I solved one of them, so I managed to tie up the somewhat loose ends for this section and present to you a new addition to AG!<strong>

**Yeah, I know it was lame. And off-topic. And rambling. And gave barely any hint of the actual Assassin theme. But I AM getting there, I promise! I have a lot in store for this story. (Btw, I forgot to edit this. So tell me please if you notice anything that seems off. Thanks a ton! Love you guys!)**

**I'm leaving this up to you - do you guys want drama? Or just the Assassin theme? Or what? Lol. Review and tell me please!**

**The more reviews I get, the more inspired I am. And I can't write without inspiration. So... Reviews please! :D**

******LeafxGreenx3, I'm really sorry this wasn't actually what I had hinted it to be... But it's a hint to what could happen as the story goes on! I hope it works :/******


	5. One Step Forward

**I'm really sorry this is late...** A lot of school things interfered, and when summer started a lot of personal things interfered... Life has a lot of interference, haha. **And if my writing seems kinda dead, I apologize,** I haven't really felt myself in a while... But yeah, you don't want to hear about me complaining, continue with the story!

Summary: _If you were an Assassin, you had no life. You were dead, existing to only follow the Commander's harsh orders. If you had a spark of life in you at all, the Commander and his ward Veil would kill you or break you. If you had a true life in you, Veil would dispose of you without a moment's thought. The perfect Assassins—Ash, Drew, Gary, and Paul—will be no exceptions, even if they fulfill the ultimate test. PokéShipping, IkariShipping, ContestShipping, OldrivalShipping._

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or the characters. I only own the story idea and whatever OC's I've created. Oh, and I apologize for any OOC (out of character) scenes.**

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Chapter Four<strong>**

****~One Step Forward~****

* * *

><p>Throughout the day, Misty noticed something up with Ash. Although she had known him only for a month and a half, she didn't fail to notice he seemed to be acting stranger than usual. He was picking at his breakfast, head down and unseeing.<p>

"Hey, May, what's up with Ash?" the redhead asked the brunette, who was sprinkling generous amounts of syrup onto her pancakes.

May set down the maple syrup and glanced at Ash. "Huh? Oh. What's up with Ash?" she questioned.

Misty sweat-dropped. "That's what I just asked you."

"Leave the kid alone today," Gary said as he slid into his seat beside Leaf. "He's kinda depressed."

"Is today a bad day for him?" Dawn inquired, finishing off her strawberry and getting up to clean up her tray.

"Nothing really, he's fine. Just give him some space, okay?" Gary pulled out a bundle of papers. "Hey, Green, Fantina handed these to me earlier today when I passed by her class. It's the character profile for the_ Luvdisc Lovers_."

"Ooh, show!" Leaf grabbed for them, but Gary held them out of her reach.

"Not so fast, Green." He smirked, standing up as she followed suit.

"I want to see them!" Leaf snapped, standing on her tiptoes in attempt to reach the profiles. Gary raised his arm, and even when she jumped, she just... Couldn't... Reach... Them! "Gary!" she whined, finally slumping back in her seat. "Let me see!"

"Aw, aren't you two the perfect couple," Dawn teased, returning. "Hey, May, you know that the Legendary Pokemon report is due tomorrow in second period, right? And it takes like, a million hours to finish?"

May jumped up immediately, her eyes flashing with horror. "What! I haven't started!" she cried out in dismay. "Da-awn! Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"You haven't done it?" Dawn's jaw dropped. "I thought I was the only one who forgot essays! And I actually finished yesterday," she added with a playful grin.

"DAWN!" May reached over and made as if she was going to strangle her friend. "How could you!"

"Go to the library, May," Misty interjected. "It's a Sunday after all."

"Oh, good idea Misty!" May fell back, and Dawn sighed in relief. "Thanks! 'Bye!"

The brunette raced from the cafeteria, an almost comical cloud of dust at her heels.

"You owe me now for saving your butt!" Misty yelled after her. "And you owe me more for making me clean up your breakfast!"

"Gary!" Leaf groaned. "Just show me the effing character profiles already!"

"Whoa, language, babe," Gary laughed, running a hand through his cinnamon spikes.

"_What_ did you just call me?" Leaf gaped.

"Nothing, nothing. Here," Gary said, tossing the heavy bundle of papers at her. Leaf wildly waved her arms around as she tried to catch it. "Your lines are marked in green highlights. Mine are in blue. And Fantina wants us to come to class during spare tomorrow."

"I'm so excited!" Leaf cheered, scanning her lines with enthusiasm.

Leaf had tried out for Vevina, and of course had gotten it. Gary was the only one of the four guys to audition, but he of course had been accepted as Chevalier. The two of them were dedicated to their acting, and Fantina had said herself that they were the best actresses and actor she had ever had audition. Dawn had instead opted to be the stage manager and therefore be Fantina's assistant.

"This story is so romantic," Dawn sighed, hand over her heart. "It's like _Romeo and Juliet__!_"

"Except this features more humans," Gary pointed out.

"But it's a tragic love story all the same!" Misty defended. Although she was a die-hard tomboy, she was also a die-hard romantic.

"They both die due to their undying love for each other!" Leaf exclaimed happily.

"That made _no_ sense," Gary said, arching an eyebrow.

"Who cares? It's _love!_" Dawn grinned.

Gary sweat-dropped. _I'm stuck with a bunch of idiots..._

* * *

><p>"Let's see... G... G... Gallade... No... Gigalith... Gothitelle... Grotle... Groudon!" May located. She pulled the thick textbook and grunted. "Oof! How can there be <em>this<em> much information about just one Pokemon?" she grumbled.

Muscles straining, the brunette dragged the heavy book to a nearby desk and dropped it down with a thump. "Yay! Alright, let's look at the rubric here..." She pulled out a sheet of yellow paper and looked it over. "Essay... All about... Legendary Pokemon of your pick... List attributes... History of... Legends surrounding... Current status..."

She looked up and stared at the book. "Wah, I'm gonna be here for hours!" she wailed.

"Shhh!" the librarian hissed.

"Sorry!" May whispered, ducking her head. She dragged the textbook to a computer and opened the textbook to a random page before she started flipping through it. "Attributes... Attributes... Attributes..."

"What are you doing here, Red?" an achingly-familiar voice rang out behind May; a voice that she couldn't place, but she knew she had heard it before...

May whirled around, her jaw dropping when she saw who it was. "_Ehhh_? Drew?"

"Shhh!" the librarian hissed again.

"Sorry!" May whispered again. She lowered her voice. "Drew? What are _you_ doing here?" she asked.

The green-headed student shrugged, attempting to hide something behind his back. "Just... I don't know, got bored?" he offered lamely.

"The great Drew is at a loss for words?" May teased. She reached for his arm. "Hey, what are you hiding?"

"Nothing," Drew said, taking a step back. "See you around, Red."

"No, let me see!" May grabbed his arm and wrenched it around to see what he was holding. It was a... Book, of all things. "... Drew?"

"... Yeah?"

"You were trying to hide _this?_ What's so bad about it? We're in a library for recreation usually for Arceus' sake!" May realized what she had just said and her smile widened. "Or is it that the great Drew didn't want to be caught a bookworm?"

"Psh yeah, as if," he grumbled.

"Awww, the Drew is a _bookworm!"_ May laughed.

She wasn't really sure why it was such a big deal to Drew. In her opinion, it didn't matter whether someone considered "popular" would be affiliated with the stereotype of "bookworm" or not. People could be who they wanted to be, or several personalities of that merged into who that person was. But since it bothered Drew _that much_, hey, why not?

"Shut up, Red." Drew rolled his eyes. "Anyway, what are you doing?" He swiftly changed the subject, setting his book down on the table. "I didn't think that you'd read textbooks for fun, and what's the deal with the computer? Looking up a word that's too hard for your tiny brain to comprehend?"

"_Nooo_, Drew. I'm writing an essay." May waved her arms in the air. "And _you're_ bothering me."

"Why are you writing an essay? Not for fun, right...?"

May turned around in her swivel chair and stared at him. "Who would write an essay for fun?"

"You haven't met Paul yet," Drew mumbled. "What's the essay for?"

"Paul writes essays for-? Oh whatever. Uh, it's for the Legendary Pokemon history thing..." May ruffled through some more pages. "Ugh! I wish I remembered earlier! This essay is worth _a hundred points!_ If I fail this my grade is gonna die!"

"You have who for history?" the green-haired student inquired, tactfully ignoring May's strange words of grades dying.

"Cynthia," May answered distractedly.

"Tough luck, I have Byron." Drew looked at her. "May, why didn't you just use the Internet?"

"Huh? Oh... I thought a book would have more things in one place," May muttered. Drew sighed and took the book from her, flipping to the back while May watched in confusion.

"Have you ever heard of the index?"

"Um... The finger?"

Drew sweat-dropped. "Never mind. Here, show me the rubric." May wordlessly handed it to him. "Alright. I'll find attributes and the history of Groudon, and you find the legends and current status of it online."

"Isn't that cheating?" May asked.

"Do you want your grade or not?" Drew retorted. "And I'm not writing the essay, you are."

"Oh, right!" May turned back to the computer and started researching.

_Why is he helping me?_ May wondered. _The guy has nothing to gain. And we just met._

When she glanced back to see an intent expression on Drew's handsome - she admitted it, but that didn't mean anything! - face, she couldn't help but wonder why her mind had registered Drew's voice as "achingly"-familiar...

* * *

><p>"When can I finally make the move?" Ash snapped at Gary, coming over to them.<p>

"Touchy," Gary noted, but he didn't say anything else. He alone knew the reason Ash was in a bad mood on that day, and he didn't begrudge him for it. "I don't know, just wait for the go-ahead..."

"I've been waiting for more than a _month_," Ash growled. "How am I _not_ allowed to make a first move already? It's been _torture_ waiting for _this long._"

"First move?" Dawn gasped, stars sparkling in her eyes. "Ash, who's the girl?"

Gary face-palmed, and Ash was shaken out of his anger by his confusion. "What girl?" he said, puzzled.

"The girl you're talking about!" Dawn exclaimed.

_Ash likes someone already?_ Misty wondered. She glanced at the raven-haired Trainer curiously, then snapped out of it. "Hey, Dawn, I got a worksheet from Lt. Surge I gotta finish. See you!"

"Aw, wait up, Misty!" Dawn jumped up, not wanting to be left alone with Gary and Ash, forgetting about Leaf.

"Wait, you two!" Leaf cried, following them.

"Ash, you idiot," Gary sighed when the three girls were out of earshot. "They thought you were talking about a _girl_. Why'd you come over here and talk about our task anyway?"

"'Cause I... Wait, they... Oh." Ash slumped down into a seat. "I didn't think..." Gary winced sympathetically.

"C'mon, man, it's been like, twelve years," he said in a low voice. "You can't let it get you down forever..."

"You don't know what it's like, Gary!" Ash flared, rising up. He turned away from his best friend as his shoulders shook. "You don't know what it's like to remember what happened..."

Gary flinched. "Dude, you know I hate tears. Especially from a guy," he joked half-heartedly. Ash didn't speak; instead, he walked off.

_Will _anyone_ understand, Ash?_ Gary thought as he watched his friend leave.

* * *

><p>"Dawn!"<p>

"Hai, Ms. Melissa?" Dawn looked up from the stack of papers she had been going over.

"Would you mind overseeing everything in the auditorium? Everything's finally been delivered and I need them all organized and filed and everything... Please? Bring the scripts and such there with you, and bring a friend if necessary," Fantina directed.

"Hai!" Dawn picked up the scripts she had been finalizing and headed down to the auditorium.

She made her way into the wide room and her jaw immediately dropped.

_This is gonna take me forever!_ she groaned.

Stacks of boxes and haphazardly-scattered props and clothing racks were everywhere. Not to mention the backdrop items that needed to be set aside and the people who could paint to be enlisted and...

"_WAHHH!"_ Dawn wailed. She tossed down her papers on a nearby table and raced out of the room, heading towards the cafeteria.

She needed something sweet, fast!

* * *

><p>Paul stood in the cafeteria line, looking over at the choices before making his decision.<p>

He wasn't really hungry or thirsty, but he wanted a somewhat legit reason to get out of the dorm room that Ash had, for some reason, taken over.

Paul, in all honesty, didn't blame Ash for the strange way the black-haired Assassin was acting. He knew that all Assassins had something in their past that the Commander had blackmailed them into becoming Assassins for. Every Assassin had something terrible in their past that had killed them inside, some way.

Regarding Ash's past, Paul had no clue what had occurred. Only Gary knew. Drew's was no secret - he was abandoned as a child, left on the streets to die, by his parents, and the Commander had taken him in. Gary's grandfather and sister, his only living family, had been abducted and never heard of again.

As for Paul himself...

He wasn't going to get into that.

_If only I didn't exist..._ he thought in regret, lost in his memories.

Then he realized he was attracting strange glances from the people behind him as he only stood there, so he mentally cursed before ordering some random hot drink and stepping outside into the hallway.

"Watch out!" he heard a girl cry out, and Paul managed to sidestep the running girl - who promptly tripped and collapsed on the floor. He sweat-dropped.

"You couldn't have been bothered to help, could you?" the girl remarked sarcastically as she pushed herself into a sitting position and tossed back her flowing midnight-blue hair.

"It's not my problem if someone trips over their own feet," Paul replied dryly.

"You were in the way!" the girl flashed back.

"You were in _my_ way," Paul snapped.

"No I wasn't!"

"Yes you were!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"..."

The girl shut up as soon as he paused, and they both realized who they were talking to.

"Paul?"

"Troublesome."

"I wasted five minutes of my life arguing about something pointless with _Paul_!" Dawn spoke in disgust. "Ugh! I have work to do! Go away!"

Paul raised an eyebrow, somewhat amused. "If I'm not mistaken, _you_ started the argument with _me_."

"Whatever!" Dawn leaped to her feet and glanced at the cup in Paul's hand. "I never would've taken you for someone who liked sweet drinks," she commented with surprise.

"Sweet?" Paul looked to his drink and realized he had ordered a hot white chocolate mocha. In reality, Paul thoroughly disliked sweet anything. "I actually don't. I ordered this by mistake."

"Ooh, can I have it then?" Dawn exclaimed. Then she realized something. "Since you're not doing something, come help me!" She grabbed Paul's arm and dragged him down to the auditorium.

And surprisingly, Paul didn't resist.

* * *

><p>"I finished! Finally!" May cheered.<p>

"It took you _ten hours_ to finish a freaking essay?" Drew groaned, collapsing in his seat.

May hugged her report, glaring at Drew. "Don't crush my dreams," she said dramatically. Then his words sank in. "Wait... _Ten_ hours?"

"Yeah. You started around nine in the morning. It's past nine at night now."

The brunette's blue eyes widened. "I didn't even realize!"

"You must love essays," Drew muttered.

"I'm starving! Let's go get food! _I can't believe I skipped lunch and dinner just for a freaking report!"_ May shrieked.

The librarian had fallen asleep at her desk, so no one reprimanded May for being loud; something Drew couldn't help but chuckle at.

The green-haired Assassin was hungry as well, so he followed the brunette out of the library.

They went to the cafeteria and May showed Drew the best food the school had to offer. They took a seat at a table outside and began eating.

"So..." May began. Drew looked up from his meal. "Why did you help me with my boring essay?"

"I got nothin' else to do. Might as well waste my time," he replied, flicking his hair to the side cockily. May glared at him.

"Glad to see you found something to waste your time on..." May mumbled. Then she switched topics. "Why are you here?"

Drew choked on a mouthful of ramen. "Huh?"

"I said, why are you here?" May's gaze was clear and calculating - pretty much the opposite of the whimsical May he knew.

"'Cause I enrolled as a student?" Drew offered.

"Seriously, I'm not _that_ stupid," May said. "You show up halfway through the school year for some random reason; you and the other three seem to be waiting around for something and 'wasting your time' as you so delicately put it; and there's something just not right about this... Heck, not even just this, there's something strange about _you_. Why are you here, Drew?"

Drew laughed. "You're delusional," he retorted, but on the inside, his heart was beating fast.

_Does she know? Does she remember?_

* * *

><p><em>Why did I agree to help her? <em>Paul wondered in irritation as they finally finished putting everything away.

"Thank you so much, Paul!" Dawn said cheerfully. "Without you, I wouldn't have finished this in a million years!"

"I have no doubt of that," Paul muttered. It was past ten already, and they had started a little past noon, stopping only for a quick sandwich in place of dinner.

"Let's go get something to eat or drink," Dawn suggested brightly.

_Why am I following her?_ Paul sighed as he did just that.

Dawn skipped up and ordered two drinks and something else Paul didn't catch, then returned to him. "Let's find a place to sit," she suggested, and they sat down at the nearest table.

"Here," the blunette said, smiling warmly. "It tastes good, and I know you don't like sweet stuff."

At a loss for words, Paul took it from her, and also accepted the cookie she offered.

"Oh, I have to go!" Dawn noticed the time. "See you tomorrow Paul!"

She grabbed her drink and ran off. Paul glanced at the cookie she had given him. Was it cinnamon?

He took a tentative bite and winced at first. It was sweet... But bearable.

_Just like her._

Before his own words took root in his cold heart, Paul realized, _And the exact opposite of me..._

* * *

><p>Ash glared at the bunk bed above him.<p>

He needed something to do; something to distract him.

"Go take a walk," Gary suggested from the table where he was reading over the character profiles. "That might help clear your head."

Ash agreed, and went outside alone.

He just walked around aimlessly, not really going anywhere; he just focused on the clear air around him and the darkness of the night.

Suddenly, he realized he saw flames in the dark, and his eyes widened as he stumbled back, trying to escape, scrabbling at the ground without realizing he had fallen.

"Ash? Is that you?" A flashlight shined in his eyes, and he blinked. His vision cleared.

There was no flames. It was just Misty, looking down at him in concern in her green eyes. "Are you okay? Did I scare you?"

"N-no, I'm fine," Ash answered shakily, accepting the hand Misty offered him, and she pulled him up.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked gently as she guided him to a bench.

"About what?" Ash asked in confusion, looking at her. Misty shrugged, scuffing her feet on the ground. She wore shorts and a yellow t-shirt underneath a pale pink cardigan despite the cold.

"Why you were so out of it today?" Misty smiled. "You don't have to though."

"I'd rather not talk about it," Ash responded slowly.

"I understand," Misty agreed, and they sat together without speaking for a few minutes. "What are you doing out here?" she suddenly questioned, and Ash shrugged.

"Just walking, I guess. To clear my mind." Misty giggled, and Ash glanced sideways at her, puzzled. "What's so funny?"

"You sound really rational today," she teased warmly. "I'm a little worried about you now." Ash stared at her, his jaw dropping.

"What do you mean, I sound 'rational'?" he demanded. "Is that an insult?"

"Depends on what way you take it," Misty countered with a playful grin. Ash suddenly lost his composure at her honest smile.

"Today's the anniversary of my mom's death," he admitted in a low, rasping voice as he fought not to show tears, especially not in front of a girl. "She died twelve years ago, but... It still feels as if she died today."

Misty was silent for a moment, and Ash braced himself for her to sound like Gary and tell him to get over it. Instead, she turned the flashlight off.

Ash's eyes widened slightly as he felt her lips press against his cheek and her arms wrap around him. "I'm so sorry, Ash," she whispered.

Despite the fact that Ash had only known her for a few months; that he was an Assassin; that he shouldn't show tears or any kind of weakness in front of anyone, especially non-Assassins; he let himself go.

The clock tower struck midnight as he finally let himself cry. And for the first time since his mother died, he wasn't alone in his sorrow; he had Misty to comfort him.

* * *

><p>Yayyy I finished! Sorry this took a while, but it was a lot to write and think about, and I think I messed up on parts : Oh well, I like the overall outcome, and it's gonna get darker soon :P

So yeah, this chapter was sorta the foreshadowing of the developing Assassin's theme!

**Some questions to think about (and answer in your reviews? I would LOVE to know what you guys are thinking! Please? Lol)**

**1) Why is the Commander not letting the four Assassins kill yet?**

**2) ^ Does the Commander have something up his sleeve?**

**3) Where was Veil during this time? What about Platinum and Sapphire?**

**4) Why is Drew 'achingly-familiar' to May? For that matter; what is Drew afraid of May remembering?**

**5) Is Paul falling in _looove?_ XD**

**6) What's gonna happen to Ash and Misty? XD**

**7) When's the play gonna happen? Yes, yes, I know, it's coming soon!**

Review please! They mean so much to me!


	6. Half Revealed

Meh, I have no real excuse for not updating :/ Just busy, kinda, and I've been on an emotional train wreck... With no one and no where to spill it out! :P But then I kept getting followers and people who kept begging me to update, so finally I dragged my butt onto fanfiction and started writing. And here you are!

I know I've said it a million times before, but I really honestly mean it this time: I'll update more often from now on. It really doesn't take that long for me to write, so I dunno why I've been too lazy to update ._.

Hopefully this'll chapter will make up for my idleness... It's darker, and returning back to the Assassin theme. It took a **LOT** of thought. And also, SOMETHING'S REVEALED. SO STAY TUNED.

Summary: _If you were an Assassin, you had no life. You were dead, existing to only follow the Commander's harsh orders. If you had a spark of life in you at all, the Commander and his ward Veil would kill you or break you. If you had a true life in you, Veil would dispose of you without a moment's thought. The perfect Assassins—Ash, Drew, Gary, and Paul—will be no exceptions, even if they fulfill the ultimate test. PokéShipping, IkariShipping, ContestShipping, OldrivalShipping._

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or the characters. I only own the story idea and whatever OC's I've created. Oh, and I apologize for any OOC (out of character) scenes.**

**Omg, I wrote this to the Fairy Tail soundtrack... For those who haven't checked the anime out, please do! I could probably never write about them, but the story line is amazing, filled with action and twists and turns and EVERYTHING matches up somehow and connects. It's just an awesome story, even though it might not make sense at first or seem good at first, it really is the most epic anime out there. It's my favorite! The characters are hilarious and the soundtrack is just... beyond words. ;D GO CHECK IT OUT! At least the soundtrack, lol, like the Main Theme or the sadder or more epic songs... Whatever's your thing!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

**~Half-Revealed~**

* * *

><p>"Everyone please take a seat!" Fantina called to all the students assembled in the wide auditorium.<p>

Dawn sighed from her seat at the edge of the stage, watching the soon-to-be actors and actresses stumble to find a seat in the circle of chairs assembled just for that purpose.

They were to read their lines and familiarize who was who and what the story line was before they actually began practicing on stage.

A steaming cup of hot chocolate with extra mini marshmallows in a white ceramic mug was next to Dawn - she was a girl who loved her sweets, and needed something to tide her over. There wasn't really anything for her to do at the time, but Fantina wanted her there anyways, so Dawn figured she'd enjoy a cup of hot cocoa and finish her homework while she listened to the first run-through of the script.

Idly, she wished Paul was there with her... But then shook her head in disgust - he would be the last person she'd like to see.

Leaf was in the chair closest to Dawn, so the brunette turned around and made a face at the blunette, who stuck her tongue out in return. Since Vevina didn't come in until _after_ all Chevalier's explanations and such, Leaf would be sitting there for quite a while without any lines for her to say.

Dawn almost pitied the poor girl.

Gary picked up the script and glanced at Dawn, who hurriedly picked up hers and read aloud, "Chevalier runs on stage, followed by two policemen!"

You could hear a pin drop in the auditorium.

"A little less feeling, Dawn?" Leaf hissed.

Dawn sweat-dropped. "Chevalier runs on stage. Two policemen follow."

"Stop, you thief!" Conway - as one of the policemen - called out from his seat.

"You think he'd seriously fall for that?" Barry - as the other - muttered, fitting in perfectly with his lines.

"Catch me if you can," Gary said tauntingly.

Dawn had to give the spiky-haired Trainer credit. He was a suave and amazing actor.

* * *

><p><em>"There it is!" Chevalier caught sight of the Poke Ball that contained the golden Luvdisc, sitting temptingly on the window sill of a brick building - the window open. He chuckled to himself, thinking that the owner was a complete idiot for leaving the precious Pokemon on the sill of an <em>open_ window._

_Just as his fingers latched onto the high window sill, his thoughts were interrupted by a melodic girl's voice._

_"And just what do you think you're doing?"_

_Chevalier looked up, and mentally corrected himself. A _beautiful_ complete idiot._

_Yeah. He really knew his priorities._

* * *

><p>"Looking?" Gary offered lamely, trying to stay in his part and not smirk at Leaf.<p>

The brunette rolled her eyes, as her part had done, and sighed. "Right." She raised an eyebrow. "May I ask _why_?"

"You're so beautiful I couldn't resist," Gary declared.

"Now I _know_ that's a lie," Leaf laughed bitterly.

Dawn watched in growing concern and mingled dread as she watched her friend. Leaf wasn't simply acting - she was _feeling_. Leaf didn't need to act for Vevina - she simply was. Vevina was exactly like Leaf. If the brunette wasn't careful, she'd reveal more of herself than she needed to...

"Not at all," Gary said. "That might not be my reason, but you are."

"Again, right." Leaf mimed picking up her Poke Ball as Dawn hastily read the action. "I'm guessing you want this?"

"Chevalier was torn. What was he to do? Grab the Poke Ball and run? Stab the girl and _then_ take the Poke Ball and run? Tell her and then act out option two? Or let her be?" the narrator read out.

"I wanted to see it at a closer range," Gary finally decided. "It's a unique-looking Poke Ball."

"And then steal it?" Leaf hedged.

"Of course not," Gary lied smoothly.

"Tell that to the authorities once they see you hanging onto my window sill like an amateur thief," Leaf smirked.

"Amateur?"

"Chevalier was insulted."

"Yes."

"Vevina glares down at Chevalier from the window, a smirk obvious on her face," Dawn read.

"Maybe I am," Gary conceded. "But I came to ask you a question."

"A question?" Leaf sounded genuinely surprised.

"Yep. Will you do me the honor of being my date to _The Climbing Rose_ tonight?"

There was a collective hush and quiet of shuffling papers as the script decreed.

"That's it for today!" Fantina trilled out cheerily, realizing they left off at the intermission. "Good job!"

"Finally," Leaf sighed in relief as she headed over to Dawn, who was gazing mournfully at her mug of hot chocolate. The brunette laughed. "C'mon, Dawn, we can go get some more hot chocolate from the cafeteria now."

"Yay!" Dawn cheered, bouncing up from her seat on the stage like a child. "Let's go, let's go!"

Leaf laughed again as she turned to follow Dawn.

"Wait." Gary stepped in her path, and Leaf eyed him warily.

"What do you want, Oak?" she said, wishing Dawn would hurry up and save her.

"You know how Chevalier asked out Vevina like that, right?" Gary mentioned, sounding dead-serious. Leaf looked at him uneasily, afraid of what he was going to ask.

"Yes...?"

"So... Will you?" Gary questioned, thrusting his hands into his pockets.

"Will I what?" Leaf asked dumbly, shifting her feet uncomfortably.

"Will you do me the honor of being my date to _Silverlake _tonight?"

* * *

><p>"He <em>whaaat<em>?" Misty, May, and Dawn screamed in unison later in their shared dorm room.

"Asked me out," Leaf mumbled into her pillow.

"What did you say?" May demanded.

"I said... I said I'd think about it," Leaf muttered.

"Silverlake is an awesome place!" Misty cheered. "And no one cares if you sneak out after curfew. Go for it!"

"If I turn him down he'll just find another girl," Leaf said listlessly.

"So enjoy the time you have with him?" May suggested obliviously.

Leaf weighed the pros and cons in her head, then made her decision.

"Dawn, where's that green dress you got me for my birthday?"

* * *

><p>"I can't believe Leaf's out on a date!" Dawn squealed excitedly.<p>

She had forced the poor girl to get a full makeover, her hair curled, the works. She was now seated by the balcony door, clad in a strapless, flowing green satin dress that clung to every curve on her body. A gray shawl was draped artfully over her shoulders, and her hair tumbled down her back in glossy curls.

"You're going to jump off the balcony in _that_ dress?" Misty said incredulously.

"I'll manage," Leaf shrugged. She was more worried if Dawn would murder her when her hair got tangled!

"Good girl!" Dawn cheered her on. "Now go! It's almost time."

Leaf slid open the door and then turned to look at her friends with an uncertain smile on her face.

May lurched forward. "Wait! Leaf! You didn't forget this, did you?" She shoved a thin wrapped bundle in Leaf's hands.

"Oh, thank Ho-oh you remembered," Leaf's eyes widened. She slid the item into her brown laced-up boots.

They all laughed before Dawn shoved at her friend. "Go, Vevina! Don't want to leave _Chevalier_ waiting." She winked.

Leaf's face turned crimson before she turned and disappeared into the night.

* * *

><p>"I'm bored," Dawn said, half an hour after Leaf had gone on her date. "Leaf's on a date with Gary Oak, Misty's studying, and May's actually doing her homework. Can I do anything?"<p>

"You have the same class as I do for Pokemon biology," Misty reminded the blunette. "And we have a test in two days. So shouldn't you be studying too?"

Dawn waved it off. "I've already studied my butt off earlier today. I'll study again tomorrow and before class. No need to worry!"

Misty just sighed as she returned to pouring over all the textbooks she had borrowed from the library.

"... I'm gonna walk around outside." Dawn ran a comb through her silky tresses and pulled on a burgundy jacket before going out the door.

The redhead left behind stared after her friend with a thoughtful expression on her face, recalling the last time _she_had taken a walk outside...

The black-haired Trainer's tears, his emotional breakdown, his vulnerability, and her lips pressing against his cheek in the only form of solace she could offer...

His broken, but still goofy, smile as he thanked her when he'd finally stopped crying. His words, _"I don't know what I would've done without you, Mist."_

It'd only been maybe five months since they've met, but Misty felt the exact same way. What had her life been like without Ash?

"Mist?" May looked up from her math worksheet. "You're blushing."

Misty's face turned redder as she whipped out her trusty mallet. "No I'm not!"

* * *

><p>Dawn hummed cheerily to herself as she walked slowly, balancing a hot spiced mocha in a white mug in her hands. She adjusted her scarf - the weather had gotten chilly lately. It was early December, after all.<p>

There was a bite in the air as she stepped out of the building, and she shivered as she held the mug closer to her face.

It wasn't just that she was bored in her room. It was Leaf.

Contrary to popular belief, Dawn hadn't known _May_ the longest. She had known _Leaf._ From childhood, the two had been the best of friends. But their friendship had been kept secret, until they could finally be friends outwardly at Darkstone.

The blunette took a cautious seat on the cold metal of the bench near the guys' dormitory.

As she went over the words her mind had uttered, she smiled wryly to herself. She made her and Leaf's friendship sound like some forbidden love!

_Romeo and Juliet..._

Dawn would be the first to admit that she was a hopeless romantic at heart. And it was obvious. She was supportive in her friends' pursuits of love and often spoke longingly of finding her own Prince Charming who would sweep her off her feet and bring her on a white horse into the beautiful sunset.

But that wasn't her.

It was who she had been._  
><em>

The current Dawn was ruthless. Was heartless - not figuratively in terms of compassion, no. Dawn Berlitz was, even now, a compassionate girl. But now, her heart was torn out, was destroyed. She wasn't really living.

She hated herself.

Dawn took a sip of the delicious mocha to settle her sudden burst of self-loathing. _Hating yourself isn't going to change things. Working and being alert will._

She caught a glimpse of dark violet against the moonlight and started, dropping her drink. "Paul?"

The young man jerked to a stop. "Troublesome."

The two regarded each other silently - coldly. It was strange for the plum-haired Trainer to be faced with such a piercing glare equivalent of his own... Something he was surprised the normally cheerful and bubbly girl could muster.

To Dawn's utmost astonishment, it was he who broke the silence first.

"Why are you here?"

The blunette shrugged. "Wanted to walk around."

Paul watched her cautiously, not sure how to deal with this side of Dawn. He warily took a seat beside her, and noted how she flinched and tilted away from him.

"Did you argue with your idiot friends?" he asked finally, still uncertain of how to deal with her.

He should've walked away... Not sat down next to her... Not _listened_ to her.

"Of course not," Dawn snapped back. "My friends aren't idiots. And _you_ shouldn't be talking."

Paul allowed himself a small smirk. Troublesome had a point.

"Then?"

Dawn shot him a look. "Since when have _you_ been this talkative?"

"Since when have you _not _been talkative?" Paul retorted.

The two stared at each other before Dawn immediately collapsed into laughter. "We're going in circles," she gasped out finally, burying her face in her knees as she shook with amusement.

Paul lifted an eyebrow. _Is she bipolar or something?_

"Nothing's wrong," Dawn finally said. "I just wanted to clear my mind."

The plum-haired Trainer shrugged. "Whatever then."

He felt a vibration in his pocket and, without a word, quickly stood up and walked out of earshot before picking up.

_"Shadow, I have your orders."_

The Commander's voice was cold, and Paul flinched. He wasn't given a chance to reply, however.

_"Your targets are four students who are affiliated with the police force, who were tasked to scout out the Assassins at Darkstone. However, they haven't arrived yet. Pay attention to the new students who will arrive tomorrow - they are the ones you're to remove."_

There was a momentary scoff. _"Why that imbecile Officer Jenny can make things so obvious is beyond me,"_ the Commander muttered before clearing his throat and continuing with his orders. _"Do not move without further word, and inform the others."_

There was a pause. _"Questions?"_ The Commander's voice was dangerously icy, but Paul did in fact have a question.

"If the targets haven't come yet," he said, "Why were we sent here in the first place?" The Commander chuckled.

_"Intuitive, aren't you?" _he said, amused. _"I had been expecting those four detectives to pose as students eventually, but there was something else I wanted you to act upon. That will be addressed later."_

Paul knew well enough not to question further, and remained silent until the Commander hung up.

He turned around and walked back in the direction of the boys' dormitory, fully intending to tell the other Assassins of the Commander's orders, completely forgetting the blunette waiting on the bench as he passed.

"Hey!"

The plum-haired Assassin halted immediately and cursed in his mind.

Dawn jumped up and had grabbed his jacket. "Who was that?" she demanded urgently. When he didn't reply, her voice grew even more desperate as her grip tightened. Paul began to fear for his jacket.

"Paul! _TELL ME WHO THAT WAS!"_

He flinched at her outburst, but he was totally taken aback by her next words as her hand let go of his jacket and gripped his, as if he was her only lifeline.

In a terrified, significantly quieter voice, she said, "It was the Commander, wasn't it?"

* * *

><p>In the beautiful restaurant, <em>Silverlake<em>, Leaf shifted uncomfortably as Gary's hand took hers. She resisted the urge to slap it away - it'd probably make her look bad, and after all, they_were_ on a date.

Right?

With Gary, who could be sure?

If Leaf could use an emoticon to show how she was feeling, it would definitely be: O_O

He led her to a table near the back, and Leaf took that moment to admire her surroundings. Pristine tablecloths, beautiful flooring, sparkling chandeliers, a live quartet orchestra playing a sweet romantic ballad in a corner, and those already seated were gorgeous! Leaf felt like she was way underdressed.

They were seated, and given menus filled with fancy names to choose from. Leaf, totally confused as to what to order, hurriedly repeated what Gary had asked for.

When the waiter disappeared into the kitchen, Gary looked to Leaf and smiled.

"You look gorgeous," he remarked.

"Say what's on your mind, Gary, not your charisma," Leaf shot back.

Gary looked hurt. "I'm serious, Leaf. I'm not just some playboy. I mean it, you're gorgeous. As always..."

Then he frowned, as if he remembered something that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Gary?" Leaf asked in confusion. He shook his head.

"Sorry, nothing." He forced himself to smile as he pulled her into a conversation ranging from music to food to schoolwork. Finally, when the delicious-looking food came, Leaf fell silent as she stared at her plate.

"Not to your liking?" Gary inquired.

"No, it looks great," Leaf said immediately. "It's just... Why did you ask me here, Gary?"

"Why do you think, Green?" he replied back. "I like you. Don't give me any crap about not being beautiful or insecure or anything, you're an amazing person and I'm glad I got to know you."

"But you already know me..." Leaf whispered, her throat constricting.

Gary stared at her, puzzled. Leaf gathered that he hadn't heard her and smiled instead. "Thanks, Gary."

There was a pause, and Leaf looked up from her food. "What?"

"You're not gonna say the same thing about me?" Gary teased, and Leaf laughed.

"Nope! You're a strange, too-charismatic guy who's too good at acting, and the only reason I came along is 'cause my friends forced me to come."

"Admit it, sweetheart, you like me," Gary winked.

Leaf shrugged, biting into her bread. "I wouldn't say so," she said coyly.

Gary grinned at her and she smiled back, lapsing into a comfortable silence as they finished off their food.

"Dessert?" he questioned, and Leaf thought for a moment.

"Can I order one to bring back to Dawn?" she asked. "She loves sweet things, and May and Misty might want some as well."

"The sweet caring girl, now _that_ I like," he teased before he placed an order for something he told her was a strawberry cake.

When the cake came, wrapped in a white box, Gary paid the bill and pulled Leaf out of the restaurant. They walked hand in hand, and Leaf was surprised to find herself blinking back tears as they reached the gate of Darkstone. She hadn't wanted the night to end...

Before they climbed over the gate, Gary took her arm, and Leaf looked up at him in surprise. He smiled at her, barely illuminated in the moonlight.

"First dates usually allow for first kisses, right?" he said quietly, and leaned in as Leaf unconsciously dropped the box on the ground.

Their lips barely touched before a ringtone rang through the night.

_Your cruel device... Your blood, like ice... One look could kill... My pain, your thrill..._

Gary cursed as he answered his phone. "What?" he demanded.

_"Get back here! You're needed!"_ Drew could be heard, shouting through the phone. _"We've got to get away, Auburn!"_

Leaf's eyes widened.

* * *

><p><strong>Soooo... What'd you think?<strong>

**I WORKED ALL DAY ON THIS, AND IT'S STILL CRAPPY. BITE ME. -_-**

**I'm sorry there's no PokeShipping or Contest, that'll be in the next chapter, titled "My Red".**

**Some questions now! Please answer!**

**0) What do you think "My Red" - title of the next chapter - indicates?**

**1) Are you disappointed with the play? I'm sorry about that, there wasn't much I could've done since it's just the run-through...**

**2) What'd you think of Dawn's thinking? How she hates herself? And why she had to keep her friendship with Leaf a secret?**

**3) What did she mean by "Romeo and Juliet"?**

**4) What do you think of the Commander's new orders?**

**5) Why was Dawn so scared after Paul's phone call?**

**6) How did she know "The Commander" and guess that easily?**

**7) What'd you think of Gary and Leaf's date?**

**8) How'd he recognize her?**

**9) "You already know me..." What do you make of Leaf's remark?**

**10) Why do the Assassins have to leave in such a hurry?**

**11) And why was Leaf so shocked at the end?**

**:P REVIEW PLEASE. The more detailed reviews are, the more drive I have for writing!**

**Thanks! Sayonara til the next chapter! :D**


	7. My Red

**OHMYGOSH YES. I UPDATED. ;P**

Summary: _If you were an Assassin, you had no life. You were dead, existing to only follow the Commander's harsh orders. If you had a spark of life in you at all, the Commander and his ward Veil would kill you or break you. If you had a true life in you, Veil would dispose of you without a moment's thought. The perfect Assassins—Ash, Drew, Gary, and Paul—will be no exceptions, even if they fulfill the ultimate test. PokéShipping, IkariShipping, ContestShipping, OldrivalShipping._

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or the characters. I only own the story idea and whatever OC's I've created. Oh, and I apologize for any OOC (out of character) scenes.**

**Btw, the beginning takes place in the beginning of the last chapter's day. It's simply from May and Misty's point of view, since last chapter was from Dawn and Leaf's.**

**Oh also, this chapter is messy and spreads everywhere... I'll edit it later when I'm less tired -_-**

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Chapter Six<strong>**

****~My Red~****

* * *

><p>May could only remember the day as a nightmare.<p>

And yet, she woke up, as well. In some ways, it was a blessing in disguise - but overall, it was definitely a curse.

* * *

><p>The brunette turned in her sleep to look at the clock on the wall, careful not to make too much noise as her bed sheets rustled. Misty was the devil when was woken up too early.<p>

_3:07._

May groaned in her mind. Why couldn't she sleep?

_"Why are you here?"_

_She watched Drew choke on a mouthful of ramen. "Huh?"_

_"I said, why are you here?"_

_"'Cause I enrolled as a student?" Drew replied coolly, his emerald eyes cold and impassive._

_"Seriously, I'm not that stupid," she snapped back. "You show up halfway through the school year for some random reason; you and the other three seem to be waiting around for something and 'wasting your time' as you so delicately put it; and there's something just not right about this... Heck, not even just this, there's something strange about you. Why are you here, Drew?"_

_Drew's laugh was normal. Nothing out of the ordinary._

_"You're delusional," he answered, like any other argument. But May, though she might not be the brightest person, could detect _something _there. Something was off. And she intended to find out what._

May shook her thoughts out of her head and slung her legs off the mattress. If she couldn't sleep, she might as well do something.

She didn't bother changing out of her short shorts and tight fitting red cami, instead opting to wear a red sweater over her nightclothes, pulling it over her head as she walked out the door. Carefully, May shut the door behind her.

The hallways were empty as she made her way down the flights of stairs to the main building. Before she knew it, May found herself in the library.

_"What are you doing here, Red?" an achingly-familiar voice rang out behind her; a voice that she couldn't place, but she knew she had heard it before..._

_May whirled around, her jaw dropping when she saw who it was. "Ehhh? Drew?"_

_"Shhh!" the librarian hissed._

_"Sorry!" May whispered. She lowered her voice. "Drew? What are you doing here?" she asked._

_The green-headed student shrugged, attempting to hide something behind his back. "Just... I don't know, got bored?" he offered lamely._

_"The great Drew is at a loss for words?" May teased. She reached for his arm. "Hey, what are you hiding?"_

_"Nothing," Drew said, taking a step back. "See you around, Red."_

_"No, let me see!" May grabbed his arm and wrenched it around to see what he was holding. It was a... Book, of all things._

Call her crazy, but something about that book bothered her.

"May?"

The said student turned around in surprise. She hadn't expected anyone to be up at four a.m.

"Brendan?"

The white-haired male student was shifting uncomfortably behind her, as if he didn't know how to approach her. His clothing - not the uniform - was a complete mess and his eyes were rimmed with red and black, as if he hadn't slept in days. There was a bandage wrapped around his left upper arm, with crimson seeping against the white binding.

May stared, aghast. "What happened to you, Brendan?" she asked, her hand flying to her mouth in shock. "You look awful! And you're hurt!"

Brendan flinched at her words. "Yeah, no kidding," he laughed weakly. Then he looked around the empty library as if to make sure no one was around. "Hey, May, I can't really stay. I can't really say anything either. But I just came back to give you this." He handed her a book the size of a normal-sized novel, with a well-worn, soft cover of sea foam green and a beautiful depiction of a rose on the front.

"What's this?" she asked, confused.

"Just read it!" Brendan suddenly cringed as if he felt something call to him. "Sorry May, I really gotta go." He hesitated for a moment before he threw his arms around her.

May's eyes widened.

"I know this is sudden, and this makes no sense," Brendan whispered in her ear. "Stay calm."

She acquiesced.

"This is all I can say - I hope you get out of here alive."

With that said, he leaned away from her.

May, unsure of what to do, looked down at the book in her hands. When she looked back up again, Brendan was gone.

* * *

><p>"Why aren't you eating?" Misty asked her friend in concern.<p>

May shrugged. "I'm not hungry." She fingered the binding of the book absently, concealed in her messenger bag.

Misty thought for a minute before she said abruptly, "Hey May, you've never told me about your childhood. You know about me, and how I'm the unofficial fourth Sensational Sister, beneath the main trio of my sisters. And how I came here to escape it, 'cause I hate the fame. What about you? I mean, the three of you have been equally secretive about your pasts..." She stumbled to a stop at the alarmed look on May's face. "Um, I mean, I respect your privacy, but... I'm kinda curious," she admitted.

The brunette thought for a minute before shrugging again. "There's not much ," she replied softly. "It bothers me how much I remember. From the age of twelve to fourteen, there are holes in my memory. Before that, it's crystal clear. I lived in a small town with my father who had an important role in the politics there, with my stay-at-home mother and my know-it-all brother. Then when I turned twelve..."

Misty tilted her head in confusion when May stopped. "What happened?" she urged on gently.

"I can't remember." May swallowed. "But when I was thirteen, something happened... Brendan was there." She paused as her own words sunk in.

"Brendan? What?" Misty asked, puzzled.

_Brendan was there? I've never remembered that before._ Her memories started falling into place as she recalled the clarity of her friend. Along with the memories came a blinding migraine.

"S-sorry, Misty. I woke up too early, I need to sleep," May mumbled as she picked up her bag and fled the cafeteria. Leaf, glancing at them, raced after her.

* * *

><p>Misty stared after her friend, worry creasing her face. Ever since the four guys - Ash, Drew, Gary, Paul - had come to Darkstone, there had been something wrong with the four of <em>them<em>.

Leaf, with Gary, was the most affected, and the first to be.

Then May, with her irrational anger against Drew, that had little reason to exist. And then that headache and not eating? Not like May at all.

"Misty!" Dawn snapped her fingers in front of her friend's face. Misty looked up to see that standing in front of her was a tall young man with glossy auburn hair and intense black eyes.

"Hey, Misty, right? And Dawn?"

The blunette and redhead looked confused. "Uh, yeah. You might be?"

"Hi, I'm Rudy. Do you mind if I sit?" he asked, indicating May's empty seat.

"No, not at all. Go ahead," Misty said cautiously. Rudy sat down easily and smiled at her, but she didn't smile back.

"Have you heard of the Assassins?" he inquired of her. Misty nodded slowly. "Good, I don't have to explain. Alright, so I've heard rumors about the Assassins infiltrating this school."

Dawn paled, and only Rudy noticed, though he didn't remarked it.

"I, along with four others, have been sent as undercover detectives of a sort to seek them out," he continued. "Have you two heard of anything suspicious?"

Before Misty could answer, Dawn cut in. "How do you know our names?" she demanded.

Rudy shrugged. "Intelligence."

Dawn glared at him. "Sorry, but we haven't heard anything. See you." She stood up and dragged Misty away.

Rudy, behind them, watched as they left. _Oh, they know something alright..._ he thought.

* * *

><p>May buried her head in her pillows as the memories flooded back.<p>

There was Brendan, who tried desperately to protect her from anything, from the taunting of some of the children who hated that her father was of high standing to the harmless little Pokemon who May tried to catch despite being told not to.

His anger when someone else came into their lives...

"May?" Leaf asked worriedly, rubbing her friend's back. "Are you okay?"

"I just have a headache..." May mumbled. "Can I be alone please?"

Leaf nodded and left the room silently, a click of the door signaling her departure.

As soon as Leaf had exited, May sat up and grabbed the book. Her eyes widened.

_It was the same book Drew had been reading the day they had met in the library._

* * *

><p>Misty didn't ask Dawn what earlier was all about. She didn't want to know.<p>

There was something wrong with her three friends, but she didn't know what! And she didn't want to know.

So she decided to shut her friends out and work on a project outside, on the bench where she met Ash that night a week ago.

And, as luck would have it, she stumbled across Ash again.

"Hey, Mist!" he called cheerily as he took a seat next to her. Misty closed her folder and smiled back at him.

"Hi Ash," she greeted in return. "What brings you here?"

He shrugged. "Drew and Paul are working on their projects, and Gary's at the play practice. So I'm bored."

Misty laughed. "Dawn and Leaf are at play practice and May's in bed with a headache, so I'm working on my project here. Don't you have any homework to work on?"

"Not at all," Ash shrugged. Then his tone changed. "Hey, Mist..."

She looked up in confusion. "Yeah?"

"Have you ever felt like you wanted to escape?" he asked. "Disappear from society and appear again somewhere no one knows who you are, so you can start anew? Leave the past behind you?"

Misty stopped writing as she digested Ash's words. _Disappear from society... Start anew... Leave the past behind you?_

"Sort of," she answered warily. "I don't really know what you're talking about, though."

Ash laughed off the tension. "I guess you don't."

His sudden flash of insight worried Misty.

* * *

><p>"You think she remembers?" Paul asked Drew, around the same time May was reading the book.<p>

"Of course not." Drew shifted uneasily. But he had lost the book...

"For your sake, she'd better not."

"I know!" Drew snapped. Paul raised an eyebrow.

"Face it, Drew. You're losing it. You let _him_ get away last night because you're getting _soft_."

Drew cursed and turned around, smashing his fist into the wall. Thankfully, the wall was strong and nothing came out of it except for Drew's sore knuckles. "I'll finish him off when I find him for sure."

* * *

><p>Misty had returned that night to cheer on Leaf for her date, and May had recovered enough to remember to give Leaf something essential before the girl left.<p>

Dawn had also left soon after, saying she wanted some fresh air.

Inside the room, Misty decided to confront May.

"There's something not right about you three," she said. "There's Leaf, who's always suspicious about her acting with this and that, and then there's you that has to have _some_ past with that Drew guy. And Dawn isn't her normally bubbly self recently! What's up with this?"

May avoided eye contact as she concentrated on her Pokemon biology.

"What did you give Leaf?" Misty demanded. When May didn't answer, Misty grabbed her friend's arm. "May!"

"Fine!" May flinched as she spoke. "I gave Leaf a... A knife."

* * *

><p>The book Drew had had, and the book Brendan had given her...<p>

Was a scrapbook.

Inside it were dried and pressed roses of every variant, their aroma still strong and beautiful. Pink roses, white, blue, lavender, black, peach, coral, yellow, and most of all, red.

There was a rose for every month since the day May turned thirteen, as they were dated.

May traced each rose, careful not to destroy the wilted, yet still vibrant, somehow, blossoms.

Her memories flooded back with each page.

* * *

><p><em>"Hi! I'm May, what's your name?" A thirteen-year-old girl came up to the newcomer in town excitedly<em>, _a tall boy her age trailing grumpily behind her._

_The newcomer, tending to the roses in the front garden of his house, turned at the brunette's greeting and smiled hesitantly back. He was - obviously - new to the town, and he had had the impression of the townspeople not being friendly._

_"Um, I'm Forest," he answered._

_"Nice to meet you, Forest!" May said cheerily. "This is my best friend, Brendan! You should hang out with us, the other people in this town are mean to us anyway. Friends should stick together!"_

_Forest smiled more genuinely. "I'd like that." He turned and picked a yellow rose before handing it to her. "These stand for welcome, friendship, care, and joy," he said shyly. "In this case, I mean it for all."**_  
><em>**_

_May took it happily and sniffed the lovely scent. "Thank you!" she laughed._

* * *

><p><em>"May, I don't think you should see him," Brendan tried to tell her a few weeks later. "There's something not right about him!"<em>

_"You're just too cautious," May waved him off, placing the most recent rose - a white rose symbolizing innocence, purity, secrecy, reverence, or worthiness - into the glass vase that was filled already with roses of many colors. All that remained that Forest hadn't given her was blue and black."He's a great guy!"_

_"You're so blind!" Brendan spat, tearing off his hat and throwing it on the ground in frustration, revealing his black hair. "Seriously, May!"_

_"I know you care about me," May said, turning and smiling gratefully at him. "And I'm happy. But I know he's good deep down, no matter how strange he seems."_

_Brendan shook his head. "No, that's not what I'm talking about. May, Forest is a killer."_

* * *

><p><em>"Forest! Where are you going?" May cried, snatching his arm as he left his house, scared at the idea of him leaving <em>her_._

_"My mom died, May." Forest tore his arm from her grip. "I have to get away from here." Even as he spoke, tears were running down his face and filling his beautiful emerald eyes._

_"Don't leave me," May begged. She didn't care what Brendan said about Forest being a killer. She loved Forest, and she didn't want him to leave her!_

_"I have to go, May." Forest's voice broke. "Or they'll hurt you too." He reached into his pocket and handed her a vibrant blue rose. "I've been working on this for a while. It's a blue rose. They don't exist in nature, and they symbolize impossibility... I'll never have you, no matter how much I want to."_

_He leaned forward and kissed her._

_When May opened her eyes, he was gone._

* * *

><p><em>One night a little before her fourteenth birthday, May opened her eyes only to see a yellow and blue Pokemon with glowing red eyes in front of her in the dark.<em>

_"Will this work?" she heard Forest's voice whisper._

_A confident girl's voice answered. "Of course it will. Don't worry about it."_

_"Goodbye," Forest said to May softly._

_May was about to sit up when the red glow intensified, and her eyes immediately were drawn to the Pokemon's._

_Instantly, her mind darkened, and she lost consciousness._

_When she awoke the next morning, she had no recollection of Forest or why there were several roses in a vase next to her bed._

* * *

><p>Misty stared, aghast, at May.<p>

"What? Why? Who are you guys?" she demanded. "What happened? You're all so different! I don't get it!"

May continued to avoid eye contact.

"May, please answer me." Misty's voice broke. "I don't want to lose my friends..."

"I can't answer your questions," May said, a tear running down her cheek. "You've got to ask Dawn or Leaf."

Tapping at the balcony door was heard, and May opened it cautiously. A Flygon was disappearing over the boys' dormitory.

She bent down at a sweet scent to see a dark crimson rose on a white slip of paper. The rose's petals were so dark that they were nearly black. May carried them into the room to read the note.

_To May -_

_These roses are black roses. I don't know if you remember anything or not, but in any case, this is for you._

_Black roses can symbolize the death of an idea, and say farewell. In this case, I mean it for all._

_Goodbye, my Red._

_-Forest_

* * *

><p>Officer Jenny dialed the all-too-familiar number and held up the phone to her ear. "Veil? Veil? Please come in, Veil!"<p>

All there was was the ever-present crackling.

"No!" Jenny tried dialing again. "Victoria! _There's something you need to know!"_

"Officer Jenny?" Tom came into the room. "Did you get this by any chance?"

There was a slip of paper in his hand, and he handed it to Jenny.

_If I'm not available, you can reach Sapphire or Platinum through this number: XXX-XXX-XXXX_

Jenny felt hope spark in her heart as she dialed. _Your lives are in danger, Veil. Please pick up..._

_"Hello?"_

* * *

><p><strong>So what'd you think? REVIEW PLEASE!<strong>_  
><em>

**Just remember, this chapter is taking place on the same day as the former chapter. I know I said it would also be from Misty's POV, but... Yeah, you got me, "My Red" was about ContestShipping :P**

**I don't really have questions right now, but just tell me what you thought about this chapter! What was good, what was bad, what jumped out, what struck you, what confused you, anything! Please? BE DETAILED PLEASE. IT HELPS WITH MY PLANNING OF THE STORY.**

**Thank you for reading! :D Sayonara til the next chapter!**


	8. Excerpt: Fallen Prey

**Sorry guys, I've had little time this week, and school starts really soon so I can't really write for a while... This is a 'chapter' with the beginning of the upcoming installment. Sorry again, I'll update the whole chapter as soon as I can!**

**You guys will kill me, but I WILL update soon!**

**Tell me what you think!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven - Excerpt<strong>

**_Fallen Prey_**

* * *

><p>Okay. Misty had officially had enough.<p>

The several officers patrolling the grounds of Darkstone Academy for the past _week_ didn't help.

The redhead turned from the balcony to the bed, where her brunette friend lay, shivering and feverish. May's fingers were curled around the stem of the black rose, as if she'd never let go. Just like she had been ever since that night...

"What happened?" Misty muttered to herself.

Rudy had told her about Assassins which were tied in with the academy somehow. Dawn had been acting strange, as had Leaf. Leaf hadn't returned from her date with Gary, and Dawn hadn't come back from her walk outside. May had collapsed after she had received the note and rose.

Misty herself couldn't make heads nor tails of the note. Who was Forest? Why was the guy so into roses? Weren't roses a girly thing? How did the Forest guy know May, and how did the "my Red" nickname originate?

Worst of all, Gary, Paul, Drew, _and_ Ash had vanished.

The redhead didn't care about the five murders that had occurred at the academy, though she wondered how on earth it had happened.

Rudy had been found with his throat slit. Conway was strangled. Brendan's skull had been crushed in. And some guy Misty didn't know existed had been stabbed in the side and left to slowly die. What was his name? Haley? Hart? Harley? Who knew.

What frustrated Misty the most was that there was _no one_ to turn to for an answer. May was in a coma-like state. Rudy was dead - a fact that should've disgusted or shocked Misty but didn't, strangely enough. Leaf and Dawn were missing, as was Ash and the other three.

Misty sighed and lifted the washcloth from May's heated forehead, replacing it with a cooler rag.

Then she flinched in surprise when May's phone rang. It went on for a few seconds as the redhead sat, not moving.

_"This side of paradise is where I want to-!"_

"Hello?" Misty spoke hesitantly.

_"Oh, thank goodness someone's picked up!"_ an Officer Jenny's voice was heard. _"Now, is this Sapphire or Platinum? Can you tell me where Veil is?"_

Misty blinked. _Veil? Isn't that the Commander's ward? The Commander of... The Assassins?_

"Misty." The redhead turned in shock when May's voice was heard.

The brunette was sitting up in her bed, her eyes still bright with fever but her expression set and determined. "Can I have my phone?"

Misty passed it to her without a word.

"Hey, Officer Jenny," May said into the phone. "This is Sapphire."

* * *

><p><strong>So... Yeah! That's the beginning. What do you think?<strong>

**Questions to think about before I officially update:**

**1) Does anyone notice Misty's feelings about being left in the dark?**

**2) Why are there police on the academy grounds?**

**3) How come May collapsed after receiving the note?**

**4) Where did Ash, Paul, Gary, and Drew go?**

**5) What about Dawn and Leaf?**

**6) What do you make of the murders?**

**7) What do you think Misty's feelings are after she found out May was Sapphire?**

**8) What's your take on May _being_ Sapphire? :P**

**I PROMISE to write really soon. Thanks for reading! Sayonara til the official update!**


	9. Fallen Prey: entire chapter

Goddd, it's been so long O.O I PROMISE TO FINISH THIS THOUGH. I swear. I won't leave you off again.

Oh and in case anyone has noticed, this story is taking a completely different route than any of my other re-writes... And this one is actually all planned out :P Honestly I think I've just been too lazy to drag my butt onto fanfiction and actually _write_... Ah well, sorry nevertheless :/

Need I repeat the summary and disclaimer? You should know by now, I hope :P

Since I haven't updated for a while (I'M SO SORRY! x_x) I suggest re-reading at least the end of the earlier chapter. Thanks!

I'm introducing a few twists in this :P Have fun!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven<strong>

**_Fallen Prey_**

* * *

><p>Okay. Misty had officially had enough.<p>

The several officers patrolling the grounds of Darkstone Academy for the past _week_ didn't help.

The redhead turned from the balcony to the bed, where her brunette friend lay, shivering and feverish. May's fingers were curled around the stem of the black rose, as if she'd never let go. Just like she had been ever since that night...

"What happened?" Misty muttered to herself.

Rudy had told her about Assassins which were tied in with the academy somehow. Dawn had been acting strange, as had Leaf. Leaf hadn't returned from her date with Gary, and Dawn hadn't come back from her walk outside. May had collapsed after she had received the note and rose.

Misty herself couldn't make heads nor tails of the note. Who was Forest? Why was the guy so into roses? Weren't roses a girly thing? How did the Forest guy know May, and how did the "my Red" nickname originate?

Worst of all, Gary, Paul, Drew, _and_ Ash had vanished.

The redhead didn't care about the five murders that had occurred at the academy, though she wondered how on earth it had happened.

Rudy had been found with his throat slit. Conway was strangled. Brendan's skull had been crushed in. And some guy Misty didn't know existed had been stabbed in the side and left to slowly die. What was his name? Haley? Hart? Harley? Who knew.

What frustrated Misty the most was that there was _no one_ to turn to for an answer. May was in a coma-like state. Rudy was dead - a fact that should've disgusted or shocked Misty but didn't, strangely enough. Leaf and Dawn were missing, as was Ash and the other three.

Misty sighed and lifted the washcloth from May's heated forehead, replacing it with a cooler rag.

Then she flinched in surprise when May's phone rang. It went on for a few seconds as the redhead sat, not moving.

_"This side of paradise is where I want to-!"_

"Hello?" Misty spoke hesitantly.

_"Oh, thank goodness someone's picked up!"_ an Officer Jenny's voice was heard. _"Now, is this Sapphire or Platinum? Can you tell me where Veil is?"_

Misty blinked. _Veil? Isn't that the Commander's ward? The Commander of... The Assassins?_

"Misty." The redhead turned in shock when May's voice was heard.

The brunette was sitting up in her bed, her eyes still bright with fever but her expression set and determined. "Can I have my phone?"

Misty passed it to her without a word.

"Hey, Officer Jenny," May said into the phone. "This is Sapphire."

* * *

><p>Her head spun. May was <em>Sapphire<em>? That meant that... Dawn and Leaf were... _What? How?_

Had she really been the _only_ one kept out of the loop? She had thought that the four of them were the best of friends, inseparable, with no secrets held from each other! But now _this, _this had happened.

Misty's sense of betrayal was beyond deep. Once May had finished talking, the older girl had the latter pinned by the throat against the wall. Misty's jade eyes were violent.

"You've kept this _secret_ from me for _how_ long?" she hissed.

The younger girl's eyes were wide, but she was unable to respond due to the arm across her neck. Misty's grip was strong, and anger and betrayal increased her initial strength. The older girl didn't care about the lack of response.

"You're basically an Assassin," Misty snarled. "You were probably the one who had a hand in killing Rudy and Harley and Lucas and _Brendan!_"

At Brendan's name, May found a burst of strength and shoved Misty away.

Taken aback, the redhead stared at the brunette.

"I would _never_ kill Brendan!" May screamed. "He was my lifeline! He was my _friend!_I didn't want him to die! I don't know what's going on! I don't... _I don't even have my memories!_"

With that declaration said, May turned and ran out the room.

Suddenly, a shrill shriek sounded, and May's footsteps ceased.

Fearing the worst, Misty collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face.

_It's not my fault._ I_ was the one betrayed_._ It's not my fault..._

* * *

><p>He's gone, was Dawn's first thought.<p>

She surfaced from unconsciousness like a diver coming up for air, gradually gaining the ability to think and feel and move.

The last thing she could remember was Paul's obsidian eyes, wide with terror - something she had never expected to see. Then... Nothing.

"Hey, Platinum."

A vaguely familiar voice interrupted her reminiscing, and Dawn turned around to see none other than Drew looking steadily back at her.

"Forest" was her greeting.

Drew and Dawn went way back. And they were both excellent at acting, since no one had suspected their relationship went anything further than having just met at the academy.

Even so, Dawn felt her heart race at the sight of him. His clear, calm emerald eyes that could pierce your soul with one look; the lines of his handsome face; the graceful, almost regal way he moved. The sight of him alone would send any girl into a crazed-fan-girl frenzy. Dawn was definitely no exception, despite having had known him for years.

The last time the blunette had seen him was when they parted ways nearly three years ago, when he had asked for her help. Dawn had been more than happy to lend her assistance - after all, it was to erase the memory of a girl who had gotten too close to Drew.

"You feeling okay?" the green-haired Assassin asked, taking a seat on the futon Dawn was lying on.

They were in a small room (Dawn could venture it was a small Pokemon Center, though she wasn't too sure), the only light from the moon streaming in through the crack from the curtains. She was still wearing her academy uniform, and her hair was in a messy braid.

"Yeah, no need to worry!" she chirped before a realization sunk in. "Wait, what did Shadow do to me? I remembering losing consciousness..."

Drew rolled his eyes. "Nothing. You fainted."

"Oh... Oops?" Dawn offered sheepishly.

The boy just shook his head, smiling slightly at the girl's silliness. Then he sobered.

"You're not going to ask where you are?" he said.

"Where are we?" she asked at the same time. Then she fell silent, waiting for an answer.

"We're hiding," Drew responded slowly. "Especially after what you told us."

"Is Paul mad at me?" Dawn questioned, her voice small. "'Cause you're the only one who knew about me... About us."

Drew took a moment to think about how to reply. "He's not... Mad. Just... Upset, I guess..."

Dawn flinched.

"It's okay," Drew placated instantly, seeing her cringe. "He won't do anything to you."

A car passed by and the headlights flashed into the room. With the additional light, Dawn caught sight of the bruise on Drew's left cheek.

"Did Paul do that?" she asked, drawing in a breath. She leaned over almost across his lap to assess the injury.

"... Yeah."

"Why?" Dawn said, running her fingers gently over the bruise.

Drew just smiled sadly at her. "You don't need to know why, Platinum."

"But-"

He bent his head and pressed his lips to hers, effectively interrupting her train of thought.

As he continued to kiss her, Dawn wondered who the "he" she had first thought about was... And then the thought was pushed out of her mind when Drew put his arms around her in a tight embrace that she immediately returned.

* * *

><p>Misty finally lifted her head, her body aching from sitting in the same position for so long. She hadn't eaten since the day before, and it was almost evening.<p>

She put May out of her mind. From now on, her friends were dead to her.

Outside, all was normal - almost as if nothing had happened. And Misty desperately wanted to believe that, so she did.

Her walk down to the cafeteria was uneventful. The officers she passed either nodded at her or ignored her completely, both of which she was fine with. It was upon reaching her destination that chaos began.

"What happened?" Misty asked a girl near her.

The said girl turned to Misty with wild eyes. "There's a rumor that an Assassin goes to our school, and he's going to slaughter all of us if we don't tell him something!"

"What's the something?" Misty questioned, her mind reeling. This was too much.

Another girl, calmer, answered. "There's a spy from the police force also attending this academy. Apparently the headmaster and board know who it is, and the Assassin is threatening them. It was written on the cafeteria wall."

Misty craned her neck to see the blood red jagged writing on the white plaster. Was it just red ink, or actual blood?

She took a deep breath to steady herself. "Well I think-" she began.

A familiar voice cut her off. "Everyone should calm down."

It was May.

Misty turned to face her ex-friend, her jade eyes conflicted. But May ignored her.

"The headmaster's gonna find a way to figure this out. Don't worry." She seemed completely at ease.

"Hey, what's all this about?" a guy asked, coming over to them. His name tag said 'Secretary: Danny'. He was young, maybe early twenties, and there was something about him that drew Misty to him...

He also resembled someone she knew... Someone she couldn't remember...

"You don't know?" May said in surprise.

"No one's informed me about anything," he replied, looking confused. "And plus I just got back from a trip."

May's eyes narrowed, but Misty told him, eager to win his favor, "There's a threat from an Assassin who attends our school about revealing a spy from the police who also attends here. If the Assassin doesn't get an answer, he'll kill us all."

"Really!" Danny looked shocked. "What's the headmaster going to do about it?"

"We haven't heard from them yet," May said curtly.

"Attention students!" The headmaster's commanding voice from the intercom interrupted their conversation. "Please calm down. There is a chance this may simply be a prank. And if it is, I warn you," here his voice became deadly, "Whoever it is, this is one lame joke. If you're found, you will be duly punished."

There was a moment of stunned silence before the headmaster continued.

"And if it isn't, then we'll do our best to cooperate with you. Give us a week to search, and we'll return with our answer soon. That is all, have a good evening, students."

The intercom shut off, and immediately, the students went chaotic.

"Did you hear that?"

"Who's the Assassin?"

"Who's the spy from the police?"

Danny drew Misty aside, his intense dark eyes staring directly at her own. The seventeen-year-old shivered.

"If you know anything, please come directly to me," he whispered to her. "I have a feeling you're a really smart girl, and we could really use you on the team."

"Team?" Misty asked blankly, but was thrilling from his serious gaze and compliment.

"I'm part of the undercover police force here," he confided. "So I'd appreciate it if you'd trust me."

"Of course!" Misty blurted, wanting his attention more than anything. "And I do have something to tell you!"

He was on the police's side. Of course Misty would tell him!

Her loyalty to May wasn't even considered. May wasn't her friend any longer, and probably never had been - she was Assassin spawn and she had betrayed Misty. There was nothing in that broken friendship to salvage besides her own dignity, which she was collecting.

"Oh really?" Danny raised an eyebrow. "Great! Let's meet up somewhere later tonight... What about that fancy restaurant outside school grounds?"

"Silverlake?" Misty's eyes widened.

"Yeah, that place. Dress nice!" He winked. "I'm looking forward to this _date_ tonight."

She couldn't believe her luck!

* * *

><p>"Don't go."<p>

Misty turned her head at the two words uttered from her roommate.

The former was dressed in a sleek red dress, her long hair curled at the nape of her neck. She had taken hours to prepare herself for the 'date' at Silverlake.

"Why should I listen to you?" the redhead snapped.

May looked up, a serious look on her face.

Misty was starting to feel uncomfortable. _Never_had May been so serious for such a long time. It was almost... Scary.

"There's something not right about him," the brunette said. Misty wanted to laugh.

"Right. And I should trust you why?"

"Just don't go! I have a bad feeling about this, Misty, and-"

"I don't care what you think," Misty interrupted. "I have no reason to trust you anymore. Just leave, and follow Leaf and Dawn and the other four guys. I have a chance with Danny, and I won't screw this up for someone who betrayed me."

May flinched, and Misty knew she had hit the mark she had aimed for.

"Don't tell me you don't feel somewhat suspicious about this," May said. "I mean, seriously. He just goes up to you, winks, asks for information, then asks you on a date when you've told him you've got something. Isn't that a little bit suspicious?"

"Not at all. I'm leaving." Misty turned and marched out the door.

"Wait!" May cried, and Misty exhaled loudly before whirling back around. The brunette stood and walked over to the redhead. "At least take this... Just in case."

She held out a wrapped knife.

"Where'll I put it? My hair?" Misty demanded sarcastically.

"Strap it to your thigh, please." May looked conflicted. "Just as a precaution. And when you come back, I'll be gone. I swear. I won't bother you."

"Fine with me then." Misty did as she was asked and then left.

May exhaled, then picked up her phone. She punched in a few numbers and held it to her ear. "Hello? Officer Jenny?"

_"This is Officer Tom, may I help you?"_

The brunette froze.

"Where's Officer Jenny?" she asked cautiously.

_"Busy. Should I leave a message?"_

"N-no, it's fine. Just tell her Sapphire called."

_"Sure thing. I apologize for not being able to lend any assistance."_

"Don't worry about it..." May hung up, then sat shivering, knees drawn to her chest. Her eyes were wide with fear.

* * *

><p>"Hello Misty, nice to see you again!" Danny greeted her cheerfully as he met her at the door.<p>

"Hello yourself, Danny," the redhead smiled brightly.

"You look beautiful today, may I add," he remarked with a grin, and Misty's smile widened.

They took a seat and ordered before he looked at her with the same intense look as before. "So, Misty, what do you have to tell me?" he asked seriously.

"Oh, that! Heheh, where should I start..." Misty wracked her brain to figure out what she had to tell him. "Oh! Have you heard of Sapphire?"

"The legendary Blue Gemstone? Of course I have," Danny answered, looking slightly puzzled.

"Well, I know who she is. She goes to Darkstone Academy."

"Who is she?" Danny questioned.

"May Maple, my roommate," Misty said triumphantly.

Danny's eyes widened and his face brightened. "That's wonderful news, Misty. Is there more you can tell me?"

"Yeah, there's also-"

She was interrupted by Danny standing up. "Sorry, just a minute. I need to use the restroom, can you excuse me?"

"Oh, yes, sure."

Misty smiled as Danny flashed her another handsome grin before leaving the table.

Suddenly, May's words echoed in her mind. _"Isn't that a little bit suspicious?"_

The redhead paled as something else occurred to her. _I never told him my name... So how does he know it?_

* * *

><p>Ta-da! Chapter seven is DONE!<p>

**Questions:**

0) What do you think the title of this chapter, "Fallen Prey", refers to?

1) So how'd you like the twists I put in there?

2) What do you think of the BelleShipping idea?

3) What do you think of Dawn now that you know what she really thought about Drew and the girl she erased the memory of? (*coughMaycough*)

4) What do you make of Danny?

5) Who _is_ Danny?

6) Who's the spy from the police? And who's the undercover Assassin?

7) Why was Paul upset and why'd he hurt Drew?

8) Was Drew leading May on? :o

9) Why was May so scared after the phone call?

10) Are you happy I updated? :P

Sorry again for updating late, I'll update within a week or two from now on, I swear. I'm finally getting excited for this story too xD

**Jaa ne til next chapter~!**


	10. Enigmatic Explanations

I promised a week. I did. And I'm sorry for breaking it again. I have literally no excuse this time, I'm a horribly cruel person, I know D:

**Actually, if you guys _would_ take an excuse... I know I said I've planned this story out, but I was just aimlessly writing the last chapter and BelleShipping kinda just flew out of my fingers and onto the page. So I also was struggling with figuring how I'd explain that without complicating the spider web of drama already happening T.T**

**I'd lost my drive earlier. And yeah, I know I've said it several times before. But just life was in the way, and I'm still not 100% back yet… I'll get to it, I guess.**

Alright, so I realized I killed a lot of you guys with BelleShipping. But if you know me, I really don't like Belleshipping... So just bear with me, you'll see how this goes! Also if you know me, you know how I really like twists xD

Need I repeat the summary and disclaimer? You should know by now, I hope :P

**This chapter is dedicated to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter and for those who've stuck with me since the first draft of AG. And this is especially dedicated to LeafxGreenx3 because I broke her heart ON HER BIRTHDAY and I feel terrible. I will make this up to you, I promise!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eight<strong>

**_Enigmatic Explanations_**

* * *

><p>"N-no, please!" a man begged, eyes wide with fear as he stumbled back. A young woman, her height accented by stylish leather boots, smirked devilishly as she advanced, effectively cornering him against the wall. She leaned in close.<p>

"Keep begging," she told him wickedly. "I like hearing you scream."

He clamped his mouth shut but whimpered as the young woman pulled out a pale pink blossom from beneath her jacket.

"But do you know what I _don't_ like?" she asked him softly, glancing at the flower in her hand with an expression on her face akin to longing and loneliness. She took his left hand and turned it over, exposing his wrist.

"D-don't!" His cry was strangled in his throat as his chest heaved with terror.

"'Don't!'" she mimicked. "Arceus. I hate _weaklings_ who can't even defend themselves from anything life throws at them." Without a warning, the young woman pressed the stem of the blossom against the artery in his wrist, and he threw his head back and howled.

"You feel the burn, don't you?" she laughed, releasing his hand. "Just because I'm feeling generous, I'll say this. Thank you for letting me try out my new poison on you. It sends a feeling like ice freezing over your blood and will take over your heart until it ultimately breaks and burns like fire. It's also untraceable! Who knew?"

With that said, she turned on her heel and shut the door behind her, the man dying on the floor.

* * *

><p>Once upon a time, the Deadly Rose was just like any other little girl. Excited at the world, imagining Prince Charming on a sparkling white Rapidash, dressing up and pretending to be a princess ready to be rescued by the aforementioned prince.<p>

But not too long after she turned ten, her parents were brutally murdered and she was stranded on the streets.

The man who had taken her in introduced himself as "Manny." He provided a home and education for her, and trained her in his own line of work, which she exceeded in well beyond his expectations.

She now knew him as "the Commander."

These days, the Deadly Rose was the Commander's call-upon Assassin. If the target wasn't a famous person, then the young woman was the one to eliminate him or her – which was often. She was the Assassin with the most blood on her hands, right below the Commander.

At the top of the Assassin chain was clearly the Commander. There were those with authority that held the Assassins together when otherwise they'd just kill each other, but the two Assassins whose word was held in high esteem (and sarcasm) were the Deadly Rose and Veil.

The former flipped her russet brown hair back, allowing the straight glossy waterfall to cascade down her shoulders. Her dark green eyes were swirling with intensity, as if something were weighing heavily on her mind. In other words? She was gorgeous.

Yet she still couldn't seem to advance in rank beyond Veil.

* * *

><p>The door to Staryubuck* chimed as it swung open. Zoey, cleaning the last coffee machine, looked up in surprise – it was late, and there wasn't anyone else in the store besides her.<p>

A couple stumbled through the doorway, landing in a wet pile on the just-cleaned floor. Zoey made an annoyed noise in her throat but scurried forward nevertheless to check if the two were alright.

"Hey," she said, poking the guy with her foot. He groaned, moving his soaked cinnamon hair out of his eyes. "Wake up. You're dirtying my floor."

He opened his eyes and glanced at her. While he was fairly attractive, Zoey didn't care for it. And she definitely didn't care for a wet, dirty guy who messed up the floor that had taken her two hours to clean. Taking in the fact that his other arm was nestled carefully around a tall, lean brunette who wasn't moving, she was pretty sure he was taken. Cool with her.

He seemed to realize that his looks and charm wouldn't work on Zoey. Maybe on days when it was actually daylight, he was looking a heck of a lot better, and wasn't staining her lovely once-shiny floors, she would. Who knew.

"A friend of mine said you'd keep us hidden for a while. He's calling in a favor." Pretty boy looked at her with a begging expression, dropping any pretense of charisma.

"And who might this 'friend' be?" Zoey demanded, hands on her hips. Her eyes matched her fiery red hair.

He pulled himself into a sitting position, carefully holding the girl against his body so she wouldn't get hurt. It was only then that Zoey saw that the girl was badly injured, crusted blood dotting her clothing and trailing down her arm.

"Don't play dumb, Zoey. You know me." His gaze was level. "You should stop pretending. We finally have a chance to get free of the Commander forever, and we could use your help."

Zoey flinched at the word _commander_ but stayed firm. "Who's your 'friend?'" she repeated.

The guy pushed his hair out of his face with a tired sigh. "Paul. His name's Paul." At her confused glance, he sighed again. "I think you know him as Shadow."

* * *

><p>Leaf head throbbed.<p>

She was aware of only the continuous pounding as she slowly drifted towards consciousness. Gradually her senses sharpened, starting with the cool touch of a blanket pulled over her body and ending with a burning, stabbing pain in her stomach.

"She's alive!"

"No duh, I thought you were a guy. Don't overreact about something as simple as this." A female voice that Leaf didn't recognize responded to the first.

Leaf struggled to regain full consciousness, wanting to assure Gary that she was alright and she was most definitely _not_ dead.

As she shifted, the pain intensified and her subconscious willed her body back to sleep.

* * *

><p>Gary stared at Leaf, her expression twisted with suffering as she remained unconscious.<p>

He had been worried. Genuinely worried. After Drew had called him, they had tried to return to the academy. Instead, they had been waylaid, and Leaf had gotten badly wounded.

Gritting his teeth, he lifted the blanket and inspected her injury. Blood seeped through the white bandages, despite Zoey's skill in binding it up. He was afraid that it would continue to keep bleeding and Leaf would remain in a comatose state forever.

It was a pure stroke of luck that they had stumbled across this particular Staryubuck. Gary had dimly remembered Paul mentioning a certain fiery young woman his age who owned a Staryubuck in Arceus-knows-where that owed him majorly for something the Assassin had done for her a while back. Gary recalled Drew joking that he couldn't believe Paul had done someone a favor, and the latter's words were curious – _It wasn't for her_.

He shrugged. It didn't matter what Paul did, all that mattered was that he was cashing in the favor and it had worked.

Gary hadn't been contacted by Drew since. Not that it was possible – his communicating device was left on the ground where they had been attacked, miles away. He didn't want to risk using Zoey's phone; if she had one, that is. The place looked old, although well-cared for and seemed popular. He hoped that hiding out in the apartment above the store was a good enough cover until Leaf healed and they could make their way back to the other Assassins.

But for what, he wondered. To finish up their assignment?

* * *

><p>Ash tried calling Gary one more time.<p>

_Bzzz… Bzzz… No answer._

"Where is he?" the black-haired Assassin thought aloud, turning back to Paul and Drew. He was curious as to why the two weren't talking to each other like usual, but he was more worried about Gary and Leaf.

"Maybe the Commander got him," Paul replied emotionlessly.

"Why?" Ash demanded.

"Why do you think we're hiding?" Drew snapped. "Our assignment is finished. Or rather, it's been done _for_ us. We've failed. If the Commander finds us, he'll kill us, and I don't want to die. I have answers to find."

Paul made a sound of agreement – the first time he'd acknowledged Drew's presence for a while. Ever since Dawn came… Huh.

"Where's Dawn?" Ash asked a little cheekily, looking at Paul. The purple-haired Assassin rolled his eyes.

"Sleeping. As usual."

Drew rubbed his cheek where the bruise Paul had given him was fading. "Hey, Paul. About Dawn and the other day…"

"What."

Ash took a seat, content with watching the two talk as if it was an intense ping pong match. Drew looked uneasy, sitting defensively, while Paul sat like a stone, rigid and emotionless.

"I think you've misunderstood," Drew continued, forgetting Ash was there. "There's nothing between Dawn and I."

"It sure didn't seem like it."

"Well… She and I have known each other for a while. That's all." Drew's expression was uncomfortable as he looked down.

"A kiss doesn't make it nothing," Ash piped in. Drew choked and a spark lit in Paul's obsidian eyes.

"You _kissed_ her?" he demanded, rounding on the green-haired Assassin. Both looked murderous; Paul at Drew, Drew at Ash.

Ash wisely decided to back out of the room.

"I did—" Drew began, when Ash fell with a thud. The door had opened of its own accord behind him.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Forest?" a female voice echoed into the room. "And I've finally found you!"

The three boys whirled around. Standing in the doorway was none other than a fellow Assassin, dressed stylishly with her russet hair piled neatly on her head.

"The Deadly Rose," Ash whispered in terrified awe.

Drew's emerald eyes were wider than anyone had ever seen. _"Brianna?!"_

* * *

><p>Dawn pulled her knees closer to her body, unwilling to let the chill bother her. Her room was cold – as if it was winter. It might've been, for all she knew.<p>

_Drew kissed me_. She couldn't help but give a girlish giggle at the memory. _He actually kissed me!_

It was no secret to her heart that she had a crush on Drew. A _major_ crush on Drew. And she'd had it for a while.

But it was also no secret that May liked Drew. It was obvious from the start, even at Darkstone Academy where the girl pretended to hate him.

Dawn wanted to be the good friend and let May have Drew. They were so clearly meant to be together, and Dawn was definitely in the way. So she kept silent, smiling when Drew and May interacted, and hoped she could move on from the childish infatuation she had had.

Drew didn't like her back that way. It was painfully true that his eyes weren't on her; he had only kissed her to make her feel better and distract her from the bruise that Paul had given him so she wouldn't ask annoying questions.

_Paul…_

She wondered what she felt for him. It wasn't love, it wasn't infatuation, and it sure as heck wasn't admiration. But there was just something about the mysterious Shadow that held her attention and made her want to understand him.

Why had he hurt Drew? Could it have been that he was… Jealous?

She shook her head violently. No. No thinking about love. She had better things to worry about.

Dawn was Platinum, one of Veil's recruits. She was part of the group that worked with the Commander to secretly bring him down.

No one liked to kill for a living. Most of the Assassins had life stories that consisted of their loved ones being murdered, most likely by the Commander. No one knew either why the Assassins existed, or what the Commander's main objective was. Many of the victims were those either in high positions or those who wouldn't be missed by anyone but their family. There was no specific target.

It was for that reason that Veil wanted to bring down the Commander. She hated being under his thumb yet not knowing anything about how or why the Assassin organization operated.

_Think about Mom…_ Her blue eyes filled with tears as she recalled the broken body of the only family member she had ever had. Then they hardened in determination. She would avenge her mother and the rest of the victims.

Her own feelings would have to wait.

* * *

><p><strong>So there you have it! <em>Enigmatic Explanations.<em>**

**Again, I'm really sorry it took so long… Took me a week to write this. I pushed writing this and now I'm stuck studying until really late for a test tomorrow! xD**

**Hm… Tell me what you think! Thanks! :D I will stay by this now, I've won against writer's block. I hope this makes up for my absence…**

**Just review with every thought you had about this chapter please! I don't care if it's long, the longer the better! **

**Sayonara til next chapter :)**


	11. What's Between the Lines

**Hey guys! Sorry for not updating... I hit a massive writer's block until a few days ago and decided to write this (painfully) on my phone.**

**Why on my phone? I was in Japan! :D It's so awesome there xD It also helped with my inspiration for writing this and expect a few oneshots and upcoming stories soon! (I wish I could post on my phone, but sorry that's why it's late)**

**If anyone cares, part of my struggle with this story is that it started out four years ago, and it's been difficult for me to develop an immature idea into a story I at my current stage in writing can be proud of. So basically, trying to develop an immature idea to a more mature idea in the process of several rewrites and chapters is sorta hard *sweatdrop**

**This chapter is dedicated to because this reviewer shamed me back into writing this for you guys, and as always, LeafxGreenx3! Also SurferGurl14 because reading her stories helped me a LOT, so I hope she's still reading this!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chapter Nine<em>**

**_What's Between the Lines_**

* * *

><p>In a restaurant that could only be classified as 'fine dining,' a striking orange-haired young woman in a red dress sat alone at a table set for two. Her jade eyes were conflicted and her slender fingers were clenched white around the glass of water a particularly brave waiter had placed on the table.<p>

Not long after, a tall, handsome young man approached the carrot top, looking immensely satisfied.

"Danny, what happened?" Misty demanded, half rising to her feet.

The man opposite her only smiled. "I'm sorry Misty, I had to take a call. My boss called just now."

"Why would the school call you?" The carrot-top's hands clenched, green eyes sharp and disbelieving.

"Well..." Danny shifted in his seat. "I didn't mean the school." At her glare, he adjusted his collar and sighed. "Alright, you want the truth?"

"Every single detail." Misty's reply was immediate.

"Part of my pretense I told you earlier was real. I'm an undercover...detective, you might say. And we're close. Really close." Danny's eyes were expressive, boldly honest as he matched her stare. He showed her his badge as proof, and after some inspection, it was obvious it was real.

"To what?" Misty snapped.

"Dissolving the Assassins for good. Listen to me," Danny's eyes were pleading, "Listen to me, you're the only link to the Assassins that we have. I know your friends are Assassins and you weren't aware til recently. The top killer, Veil, has managed to manipulate Officer Jenny to doing her will by giving her a fake Poké Ball of an Eevee and swearing that she'd never killed a person in her life, wanting to abolish the Assassins as much as we did. But Officer Tom, her second in command, doesn't trust Veil and with good reason."

"What... What has he found?" Misty swallowed, her throat dry. It was one thing to be upset at friends for keeping their lives a secret from her. It was another to hear that her friends were cold blooded murderers wanted by the law.

"Veil's in collaboration with the notorious four male Assassins: Shadow, Forest, Sky, and Auburn. The Commander - head of the Assassins - has ordered those four to eliminate four students here at Darkstone Academy. However, for some reason Veil had convinced Officer Jenny to take her side and trust her plans. So far, the only thing that's happened is four people have died - the targets, and also undercover detectives. You've met them. Harley, Conway, Brendan, and Rudy." Danny stopped to catch his breath, and looked to Misty to gauge her reaction.

She looked as white as a Pokémon egg. There wasn't a trace of suspicion left in her mind.

"So... What did Dawn, Leaf, and May have to do with this?" she whispered. Danny shook his head.

"We know little about those three. I wasn't even aware that Leaf and Dawn were Assassins." Danny looked at her quizzically.

Misty's face turned red. _Oops_, she thought. _Didn't mean to let that much slip..._

Danny continued nevertheless. "I was talking about the four boys, Misty. Paul, Drew, Gary, and... Ash."

Misty's jaw dropped. Sweet, funny, dense Ash, an Assassin? Ash, who seemed so down to earth, loved his food and Pokémon, and cried about his mother's death? Ash, the one that she had fallen for?

_She loved a cold-blooded murderer._

The revelation was so shocking that Misty felt as if someone had punched her in the stomach.

"Misty?" Danny jumped to his feet and came over to her. "Mist? Hey, you!" he shouted at a waitress. "Call 911!"

"N-no, I'm okay!" Misty shivered. "Let's go. Please?"

Danny looked at her and nodded.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you're alright?" Danny asked her again, once they were in the safety of his apartment.<p>

"Yes. Tell me more." Misty, getting over her initial shock - _she couldn't trust anyone anymore_ - and curious, wanted to know the whole story.

"Well, we want to get Veil. Th - I mean, she, is basically the leader. The Commander seems to be, according to inside information, a figurehead that does nothing and serves as someone to be feared but that's all. And if you tell us all you know, that could lead us to Veil." Danny's eyes were hopeful.

Misty steeled herself before speaking, her hand finding its way to the knife strapped to her thigh. "I'm in."

Danny's expression morphed into pure joy and triumph, something Misty paid no attention to, lost in thoughts.

"Great. First thing first, how did you get that knife?" He pointed to the one she was holding, and Misty cursed mentally as she realized she had uncovered it.

"May gave it to me," she said finally.

"The Sapphire gave it to you?" Danny's jaw dropped. "May I see?" He slipped on a glove and took it reverently from her before dropping it on the table beside him as a ringtone sounded. "Sorry, one second. Someone's calling me."

He picked up and turned around. "Hey, Officer Tom. Yes, I have Misty here. You're welcome. Yes. Oh, no. What? Ah. Good. Thank you." He hung up, and smiled at Misty, taking a seat beside her and holding her against him. Grateful for the comfort, she leaned into the warmth. "It's been a long night. What do you say I get you a drink and something quick to eat since we didn't eat at the restaurant? You can tell me what you know. Then I'll bring you home."

He gently kissed her forehead, and Misty felt her heartbeat speed up. At the moment, the tough tomboy was vulnerable. And Danny's law-abiding career and sincere personality was welcomed.

"Okay."

* * *

><p>Misty struggled with the room key, cursing as the knob tangled with her dress. The hallway light was off, but she assumed May was still awake since the room light was on. Mild irritation coursed through her as she recalled May telling her she'd be gone.<p>

Sighing in relief when she finally opened the door, she shoved it open, stumbling inside in her haste.

The contents of the room made her scream and fall back, jolted awake. Blood spilled from the bunk to her left, coating the carpet and soaking into her light blue heels. A dark, mangled shape lay on the bunk, being the source of the blood. Misty couldn't make out the shape, the body too destroyed to be identified in her terror.

A scrap of paper floated from the top of the doorway into her lap and she looked down at it in horror. _Look upon your work, Assassin Misty._

Panic seized her. _No, no, no..._ she silently begged, not knowing who her pleas were directed to. _I didn't want this to happen!_

Her eyes lingered on the body, and within her horror Misty's sharp eyes noticed something she hadn't before. _A familiar red bandana._

Then a shadow fell over her, and she looked up. Her eyes widened as she recognized who it was - someone she hadn't expected to see ever again.

"R-"

Suddenly, her head exploded with pain and her vision faded to black.

* * *

><p>Gary watched Leaf shift on the bed, almost willing her to wake up. He was worried. Was the injury laced with poison or something? She should've woken up already.<p>

Suddenly, Leaf's eyes opened, albeit barely. "Ga...ry," she whispered hoarsely. "What...happened?"

"Shh," he said, pulling the blanket to cover her shoulders. "The Commander attacked." _And called you by name,_ he added silently, knowing he'd have to bring it up with her sooner or later. Gary wisely chose later, when Leaf was feeling better.

Leaf flinched as she moved. "Ow," she whimpered.

"Hey." Gary showed her the bowl of soup Zoey had brought. "Want some?"

Leaf's face wrinkled adorably when she realized what he meant. "Yea-wait, no. Not if you're going to feed it to me!"

Gary rolled his eyes. There was the Leaf he knew. "Well you can't eat by yourself."

"Yes I can!" She struggled to lift herself into a sitting position but cringed. Gary could swear he saw more blood seeping through the bandages.

"Stop!" he almost shouted, terrified at the idea of her tearing apart what had already healed. "We need to get going soon, so you need to heal. Let me feed you; I won't try anything, I promise."

Leaf looked at him funny, but nevertheless she lay down again, looking relieved.

Once he finished feeding her, she thanked him. And smiled brilliantly.

Her smile took his breath away.

In no time at all, Leaf was asleep. He watched her as she dozed peacefully, content. He wouldn't admit it, but she was really starting to mean a lot to him.

"Here."

Gary looked up in surprise as Zoey entered the room, holding a steaming mug of coffee and a croissant on a plate. She placed it down on the table next to Leaf's bed.

"She awake yet?" Zoey tilted her head at Leaf.

"She woke up earlier, ate the soup you brought," Gary replied, half-smiling and indicating the empty bowl. "She's getting better."

"How'd she get hurt that bad?" She pushed the croissant towards him.

"Let's just say the Commander doesn't like me," Gary answered, his smile gone. "And neither does he like Leaf, apparently."

Zoey looked at him for a few seconds, clearly not believing that to be the whole story. She sighed and dropped into another chair. "Alright then. But if the Commander comes to assassinate me, I'll kill you in your next life."

Gary's body froze, mid stroke of Leaf's face. "What makes you think that?"

Zoey rolled her eyes. "Uh, why else? He's obviously after you, and a runaway ex-Assassin is sure to make his hit list. How else do you think I know Shadow and owe him a favor?"

"What _is_ the favor?" Gary asked, curious. He leaned back and picked at the croissant, momentarily happy at the fact that it had chocolate in it. "I can't believe Pa-Shadow would actually do anything for anyone."

"Well, it wasn't for me," Zoey retorted. "I needed to run away, and someone was with me that couldn't be because I wanted to protect her. Shadow took care of her while I ran."

"Her, huh?" Gary's eyes were wide, the croissant halfway in his mouth. "Did you have an illegitimate daughter or something?"

Zoey laughed. "No, no. Just a friend. She was young, and innocent. Shadow was safe, and I wasn't. Plus, I owed a favor to the girl's mom."

"Who was this?" Gary inquired, curious about who Paul had saved, and shocked that the cold-hearted Assassin had agreed.

"Honestly, I didn't know the girl's name, or the mom's real one. I just remember I called the girl 'girl' - I didn't know her that well. Eventually she told me to call her what I called her mom so she'd have a memory of the mother she lost." Zoey looked at the wall opposite her, lost in memories.

"So what was the girl's mom's name?" Gary pressed, picking up the coffee mug and taking a long sip.

"I called her Platinum."

Gary spat out his coffee.

* * *

><p>It was midnight by the time Officer Jenny finished up the paperwork for the day's troubles. The Assassins were striking at a worse rate than before, and Jenny just couldn't understand the motive. There didnt seem to be one - the victims ranged from young to old or poor to rich, with no specific gender or town chosen.<p>

"Tom!" she called. "Tom!"

Her sister, on midnight duty, poked her head into the room. "Tom's gone home, Jenny. Like you should."

Jenny forced a smile. "Thanks, but I think I'll stay a little longer. I have to finish up something."

Her sister grinned. "Hardworking Jen. Suit yourself then!"

Once she left, Jenny tidied up the papers into piles and leaned back in her seat. Her eyes lingered on the phone lying on her desk. It'd been a week since she and Veil had last talked, and there had instead been murders reported at Darkstone Academy of boys she'd never heard of. Officer Tom had overseen the case, and she trusted his judgment. However, there was no results and instead more deaths. Something had to change.

Making up her mind, Jenny called Veil again. "Please pick up," she urged the phone. To her utmost relief, it didn't go to a busy tone. "Veil?" Officer Jenny exclaimed.

_"Sorry, Veil is unavailable right now,"_ a calm male voice that was definitely not Veil's told her. _"May I take a message?"_

"Who is this?" Jenny demanded sharply.

_"Sorry, where are my manners? Veil is my ward, and I can take a message to give to her when I find her."_ The voice changed its tone from pleasant to dark. _"Nice chatting with you, Officer Jenny. If you haven't guessed, I'm the Commander of the Assassins."_ He hung up.

Jenny's jaw dropped. Then she frowned.

The voice of the Commander was familiar. She had heard it before. Was it one of Veil's Assassin friends?

Taking a sip of the coffee on her desk, she winced when she realized it was cold. Officer Tom had brought it in for her earlier that day, insisting she get some caffeine in her system so she wouldn't collapse from sheer overwork (his concern was valid - Officer Jenny had a bad habit of working overtime by several hours when on a case).

Jenny sighed and shifted through some DVDs she had in a drawer. Seeing the one of Veil's interview, she pushed it in her computer and pressed play.

Suddenly, she pressed pause, her complexion flushed with the excitement of her revelation.

She knew who the Commander was. "Jenny!" she called. "J-"

Her vision blurred, and Jenny fell to her knees, clutching her desk. Was she really that tired?

Steps entered the room. "Not to be dramatic or anything, but why'd you drink that coffee?" Someone sighed. "Should've removed it when I had the chance..."

Jenny looked up, her strength fading fast. Through her obscured vision, she caught sight of a blue vest of an officer.

"Tom..." she whispered. "Why?"

"I didn't, Jenny." Officer Tom stood in front of her, looking at her with regret. "I'm sorry this had to happen to you."

"What-" was the last thing Jenny said before she collapsed on the floor, eyes rolled back in her head.

When Tom left the room, she wasn't breathing.

* * *

><p>Drew flinched as Brianna entered the room, her green eyes trained on him like an Assassin would to a victim.<p>

"Paul, get Dawn out," he hissed before she reached them. "If Brianna finds her, she's dead and we're screwed for sure."

Ash, who had overhead, expected Paul to disregard him. Surprisingly, Paul nodded and up and left the room.

Brianna's eyes followed the Assassin, her lips pursed in thought. When Drew spoke, she turned her undivided attention to him.

"What a...pleasant surprise, Bri," Drew greeted. "How'd you find us?"

"'Us?'" Brianna's nose wrinkled as she took a seat beside him. "I remember when you were just a single Assassin like I and Veil were. We could've burned the world together, you and I."

Ash snuck a shocked glance in Drew's direction. That Forest was once a solo Assassin was news to him.

"Yeah well, times change." Drew flicked his hair and flashed his typical smirk. "So what brought you around, Bri? Missed me?"

Ash wanted to choke. Enter charming Drew, someone no guy could stand being around, even happy go lucky Ash. "I'm gonna feed Pikachu," he called, and left the room as well.

Drew mentally groaned. Now he really had to entertain Brianna, and it was a difficult task to control an infatuated cow with a love for murder.

"I overheard some new recruits talking about you," Brianna told him airily. "They said something about how even you four couldn't complete the 'ultimate task' Manny gave you."

"He's the Commander, not 'Manny,'" Drew said, trying his hardest not to give in to the urge to strangle her. "He's someone to fear, not to admire."

"Manny?" Brianna laughed. "Drew, he can't hurt you. Not if you're with me..." She moved closer to him and smiled sweetly. "I also heard something else."

Drew knew he wouldn't like the news. He flicked his hair again to hide his uneasiness, and Brianna snuck in closer to him.

"You remember Misty? Your little carrot top friend met at the academy?" Brianna's smirk was smug, cruel, and arrogant. The typical Assassin attitude.

"What?" Drew snapped. Misty had nothing to do with him. The news was worse, he was sure.

Unfortunately, he was right.

"Well, news has it that May's been stabbed. Several times, by Misty's knife." Brianna leaned in closer. "May's_ dead_."

* * *

><p>Ash couldn't believe what he heard. Misty was responsible for May's death? Wait, May was <em>dead?<em>

Drew looked as if the ground had just been torn from under him. Ash was about to confront Brianna - girl or not, he wanted to make her suffer - when Drew got to his feet. There was a murderous glare on his face as he turned to face Brianna.

Ash looked away, hearing the sound of impact. When he looked back, Brianna was on the ground, unconscious. The wall had a crack directly where her head would've been. Drew was nowhere to be seen.

The Deadly Rose had, for lack of better words, wilted.

But Sapphire had fallen, and Ash was going to find out why.

"Pikachu," Ash whispered to his favorite Pokémon, "Go find Misty. Find out what happened and then report back."

"Pika pi," Pikachu replied, giving Ash a thumb's-up. The little electric mouse scampered off.

Ash wasn't worried at all about Pikachu - well, other than normal concern. Pikachu had been trained to be stealthy and resourceful and the black-haired Assassin could readily admit that often Pikachu was more intelligent than he was.

"I don't believe Mist had anything to do with May dying," he told himself. "And I won't believe May's dead until I see her body with my own eyes."

* * *

><p>It was dark in Dawn's room, and the blunette was fast asleep. Paul closed the door behind him silently, and walked over to the bed. He was about to wake her when she turned on her side restlessly, her face lit up in the moonlight streaming in from the window.<p>

Was she... Crying?

_"Dawn!" her father called. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"_

_Five year old Dawn giggled behind the curtain she used as a hiding place. For anyone actually bothering to look, it was obvious that there was a child hidden behind the brocade, but her father was humoring her and searched in silly places, like the inch behind the bookshelf or the pillows on the couch._

_The doorbell rang, interrupting the lighthearted game. Dawn heard her father murmur, "Now who can that be?" and walk over to the door to open it._

_Before she could process what happened, a strange whistling sound pierced the air and there was a clear thud as something heavy hit the ground._

_Something spattered on the curtain, and Dawn's eyes went wide with shock._

_"Where is she?" An unfamiliar voice froze her in place._

_"Search the whole house," another ordered._

_Dawn whimpered in fear as crashing sounds filled the air._

_It could have been ten minutes or ten hours by the time the intruders had finished, but time seemed to disappear from the five year old's mind. She sat, frozen, behind the blood-covered curtain._

_Dawn was still there when her mother, Johanna, came home, curled up and shivering._

_"Mommy... What's wrong with daddy? Why won't he wake up?" she wailed, a heartbroken Johanna holding her tightly._

_The words her mother spoke made no sense to the shell-shocked child who barely paid attention. "How did they find out..?"_

_The five year old started sobbing and thrashing. "Daddy! Daddy! DADDY!"_

_"Dawn! Calm down!" Johanna cried, trying to hold her still. But she wouldn't stop._

_"I want my daddy!"_

_Then Johanna disappeared, and instead someone else's arms had her pinned against a wall._

_"Well, look who we found."_

With a gasp, Dawn jolted out of bed, her fist striking forward as she pulled herself into a defensive stance.

Surprised at her sudden attack, Paul had just barely managed to evade the blow.

Dawn slowly sank down on the bed, astonished at what she'd just done and equally shocked at the smirk Paul threw her way.

"Looks like I taught you well," the Assassin well known for his combat skills said.

Before Dawn could process his words, her nightmare came flooding back and she fell into Paul's waiting arms, her cheeks already stained with tears.

* * *

><p>Zoey, turning on the TV in her room, changed the channel and sat back on the couch to watch the news.<p>

_"I'm Todd with Jubilife News with not so jubilant news. There have been two deaths in the same general vicinity as the place where four students had been brutally murdered - Darkstone Academy."_

Zoey snapped to attention.

_"Another student, by the name of May Maple, was reported dead. Her roommate, Misty Waterflower, was found unconscious in the doorway of the room, oddly dressed in evening wear. Maple appeared to have been stabbed several times and decapitated until it was almost impossible to identify her if another student hadn't noticed the typical red bandana Maple wore. Both girls were discovered at early morning, when the other students of Darkstone were about to head to class. A search for the murderer and Waterflower's attacker has shut down the school and the students sent home in fear of more deaths. Waterflower has yet to awake and is being held under guard in case the attacker comes back to finish what he started._

_On the the other side of town, Officer Jenny was found on the floor of her office. Her cause of death is unknown, although most evidence points toward the coffee she'd consumed before death. After testing, the coffee had turned out to be a dead end, but the town mourns for its Officer Jenny._  
><em>Again, this is Todd with Ju-"<em>

Zoey changed the channel, hearing Gary enter her room.

"Hey, what's with that?" the brunette Assassin asked curiously, pointing at the TV screen. He carried Leaf in his arms (the brunette girl seemed to be tired of bed rest).

Zoey turned around, surprised. She'd changed to the weather channel in her haste.

_"Outside is a raging thunderstorm, with unusual flashes of lightning."_ The screen cut to a live shot of the storm - dark storm clouds over a forest. Lightning suddenly shot through the air and vanished almost as soon as it came.

Gary jolted forward. "Did you notice that?"

The redhead looked confused. "Notice what?"

"The lightning!" Leaf exclaimed. "It came from the ground, not the clouds!"

Leaf and Gary looked at each other and simultaneously said one word.

"Pikachu!"

* * *

><p>Hopefully that's a decent length... I kept adding and re-adding details and scenes to make this longer, so hopefully it flowed and didn't drag on.<p>

Questions! (Anyone who answers ALL the questions will get a romantic scene of their choice pairing, so answer, answer! And if you'd like I'll give you a hint on anything you're confused about! :D)

1) Opinion of Danny? Is he lying? If he is, about what?

2) What do you think Danny was talking to Officer Tom about?

3) Why do you think Misty falling for Danny so fast?

4) What do you think happened to May? Is Air (that's me!) so cruel as to kill off a main character? (Apparently so, gomen *bows -is shot-)

5) What do you think Misty's note means?

6) Who do you think was Misty's attacker?

7) Why am I giving you guys so many questions? XD

8) Anyone notice the oldrivalshipping there? No? -crawls in corner-

9) Dun dun dun, Zoey knows Dawn! And so does Paul? O.o Now why do you think Dawn doesn't remember anything?

10) What do you think happened to Officer Jenny and Tom?

11) How /did/ Brianna find Drew and the others? And where did Drew go after he knocked her out?

12) Opinion on Ash's loyalty and Pikachu's recon mission?

13) Opinion on Dawn's nightmare?

14) Opinion on Paul's words ("Looks like I trained you well")?

15) What do you think of the lightning? :o

16) And last but not least, what was the part that stood out for you the most? And why?

**Thank you for reading, and please review! Remember, if you answer ALL the questions in decent detail, you'll get both:**

**A) A romantic moment of the pairing of your choice**

**B) One hint on something you're confused about**

Ask any question, I'll answer as best I can! Oh, and vote on my poll when it's up please!


	12. Unveiled

**This is a quick update O.o**

**I think I've lost a lot of my reviewers, lol... Sad. I guess that's what I get for hardly updating .-.**

_**Dedicated to eeveeluvr, the first reviewer! HAPPY BIRTHDAYYY! (If what I read on your profile is correct lol... Stalker? No, not me *shifty eyes* xD) I hope you enjoy this chapter!**_

**Ooh I was reading a review by iloveikari, and what this reviewer said made me laugh xD This reviewer said something about Paul might've just hit Dawn until she had amnesia and that it seemed like something Assassin Paul would just do. xP**

**Forewarning: a LOT is revealed in this chapter. So read it carefully!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twelve<strong>

_**Unveiled**_

* * *

><p>Brianna was sick of the games everyone was playing. She was utterly through with being cast aside and being used. Months ago, Veil had approached her with a foolproof plan for the downfall of the Assassins. Not thinking twice - after all, Veil hated the Commander with a passion and it was no secret to anyone - she accepted.<p>

Veil owed her for having to play the bad guy. Drew was strong, and him slamming her against the wall _hurt_.

_Everyone_ was playing a game, holding back secrets, no one completely honest with the other. Only by a lot of difficult digging by both her and Veil had they figured out everyone's secrets.

Listing each person off on her fingers, she mused. _There's Veil. Who knows how many secrets that mysterious creep has. Auburn? That he's the grandson of the late Professor Oak and the only reason the Commander wants him is for his legendary Pokemon knowledge. Shadow? His family, his past, and his involvement with Guardian and Platinum. Forest? His family, his Assassin past, and his involvement with Sapphire.__  
><em>

Brianna frowned. Sapphire wasn't even a real Assassin. The Commander had recruited her when he had found her alone, promising to show her Drew once again if she'd listened to him. As far as Brianna knew, Sapphire had never killed.

_Platinum's only considered an Assassin in place of her mother. _Years ago, the Commander had murdered Dawn's parents in revenge, and sought to kill Dawn as well. Instead, Guardian had fled with her and Shadow had taken Platinum in. Guardian still hadn't been found.

_Sky's only purpose was to avenge his mother. _The Commander had poisoned Ash's mind by telling him that Ash could have saved his mother, and the only way to avenge himself for not saving her was to condemn himself and destroy more lives.

She herself was no exception. Her family had been killed, presumably by the Commander. He had taken her in, and trained her to slay. She wondered if the Commander had also planned for Drew to fall for May and for her to fall for Drew. He knew people well, after all.

The Commander wasn't stupid. There was no way that he was going to fall. He had played them all along and intended for them to die. Even her, Brianna, would fall somehow, and she had come to terms with the fact that she was going to die.

_He had, after all, chosen his Assassins wisely..._

And the Commander had one last weapon up his sleeve, one that was being put into motion right that very moment - _Cerulean._

* * *

><p>Dawn's memory was returning to her, piece by piece.<p>

_"Zoey, get Dawn to run! Don't get caught," Johanna had begged the redhead. The blunette was staring, shocked, at the knife between her mother's ribs and the pool of red._

_"Shadow, I can't take her with me." Zoey was standing in front of a tall boy around their age, hands on her hips and a demanding look on her face. "You have to take her."_

_"Come with me, troublesome girl," Paul said, lifting her. "If they find you, they find me, and I can't be caught helping someone who's supposed to be dead."_

_"Is that the best you can do?" he challenged her. "Being weak will get you _nowhere_! Try again!"_

_"Hey, troublesome, over here," she heard Paul call, and she turned. The first thing her eyes registered was a pair of glowing red eyes. Then blackness._

_"Platinum, are you ready?" Veil asked her, and she nodded in confirmation. "Here they come." Her breath caught in her throat as she saw someone so familiar to her but she just couldn't put a name on him..._

"You did that," Dawn breathed into Paul's shoulder. "_You_ erased my memory before we began the academy task."

"Yeah."

"Why?" Dawn drew back, looking at him. "Did you not trust me to go through with it? Am I that weak?" Tears began to flow anew from her blue eyes, and she rubbed at them in frustration. _Oh yeah, Dawn. Crying would _totally_ prove you're strong._

"That's not it," Paul sighed. "The Commander has spies everywhere. You know this whole organization is your fault, right? He won't stop until you're dead."

Dawn's eyes widened. "This is _my_ fault?"

"Your mother's," he clarified.

"Mom's?" Dawn tried to remember, but her mind drew a blank in the jagged part of her memories.

"Your mother left the Commander for another man," Paul briefly explained. "He naturally wants revenge. And you're the proof that something actually happened, so he also wants you dead."

"But why are you protecting _me?_ If I'm dead, the organization would fall apart, right?"

"I _won't_ let you die." Paul's jaw clenched.

"But you'd let innocent civilians die?" Dawn stood up and glared at him. "I'm one person. They're several hundred."

He looked up at her, his onyx eyes smoldering. "This isn't _all_ about you. The Commander plans to destroy us all. You would be the trigger."

"Oh..." Dawn couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment at his words. So he hadn't been protecting her because of, well, _her._ Only because he didn't want to die. "I understand, I guess."

Paul braced himself before continuing to speak. "But if that wasn't the reason... I would still protect you to my last breath. I... I _care_ about you." His tone sounded slightly irritated.

Dawn blinked. _Did he just say..?_

"Why?" she asked in a small voice, sitting back down. "You hardly know me."

"_You_ hardly know _me_." His voice was still irritated. "After I erased your memory." Dawn felt a spark of anger at those words.

"Didn't you trust me enough to carry out my position in the task?" she demanded. "I would have been able to, you know! I'm not _that_ weak!"

"I know that!"

"How can you not trust me and take all my memories, and then tell me you _care_ about me?" Dawn shouted at him. "Liar! You're just a cold-hearted Assassin, there's no way you can have _feelings__!"_

Dawn suddenly felt as if she had gone too far at Paul's glare. "U-uh..."

He jerked her roughly to him and gazed intently at her. There was anger in his eyes, but something softer as well. Before she knew it, they were leaning in close to each other.

Then he kissed her.

* * *

><p>Drew was determined to avenge May's death. The question was - <em>how?<em>

He wandered out of the Pokemon Center, thinking hard. Who would've killed her? Had the Commander found her?

"Flygon!" He sent out his Pokemon and ordered it to bring him to the old town where he had first met May.

_He could've saved her_. If he hadn't left her alone, if he had brought her with them...

_No, Drew. You had to leave her. She doesn't know anything about the true nature of the Assassins and she can't know what you really do._

_But now she's dead,_ he argued with himself.

Once a solo Assassin, Drew had delighted in the agony of others. He felt as if that had been the only way to remove the agony from himself if he took it out on others. The Commander had been by his side since the beginning, quietly and maliciously encouraging him to continue. But when he had been assigned to slay May's brother, and met May, that had been it. He couldn't kill anyone close to May, and he wanted more than anything to be normal so he could maybe win her heart. When he had to leave... It had been heartbreaking to see the pain in her expression. Wishing for it to go away, he had asked Dawn to erase her memory for him.

Dawn had agreed.

Then his thoughts turned to Dawn. Daughter of Platinum, a name well known in the Assassin circle, a name spoken with scandalized fear as she had abandoned the Commander and married a police officer. Dawn herself would have been killed as well, but Guardian had smuggled her away and she inevitably fell into Paul's custody. Guardian had disappeared, and Dawn had been trained to defend herself. Then Paul had erased the part of her memory concerning him and Guardian before she went to Darkstone Academy to fulfill her task.

Drew thought about what they would do. Veil wanted to bring down the Commander, and Dawn shared the feeling. But what would that accomplish? Sure, the Assassins would be obliterated. But they would all be condemned to a lifetime in prison, and that was if they were lucky. Was it worth it?

Flygon reached the old town and Drew recalled his Pokemon as he walked around.

Again, his thoughts returned to May.

He had to avenge her death. Then he'd rethink the idea of turning himself in.

As he was deep in thought, he hadn't realized just how far he'd gone.

Drew looked down and saw himself at a graveyard. He swallowed and walked cautiously in, trying not to let the spooky aura of the foggy area get to him. One gravestone mattered to him, and he zeroed into it, far on the other side of the cemetery.

_Rosalind Hayden. _

_Here lies a beautiful young woman, who died long before her time._

A bouquet of fresh red roses was lying on the grave. They couldn't have been placed more than an hour ago. Surprised, Drew bent down to take a closer look. There was a small card attached to the bouquet and he read the two words printed.

_From Sapphire._

He stared, shocked. From May? Was she still alive? Or was it a trick? But no, that was unmistakably her handwriting. So was she still alive? How?

Brianna would never lie. She was cruel, yes, but she was brutally honest.

_I have to be hallucinating..._

* * *

><p>"Are you <em>sure<em> you can move?" Gary asked Leaf intently.

The brunette girl was standing up, leaning against the wall as she waited out Gary's inspection. She rolled her eyes. "_Yes_ I'm sure. Now can we go? I don't feel safe just staying in one place for so long. We need to get the Commander and figure out a way to save the others."

"Okay fine, if you're sure." Gary sighed; he knew stubborn Leaf when he heard one.

"So you're good to go?" Zoey asked, materializing by the doorway.

"Yeah, thanks for taking care of us," Gary replied, checking his Poke Balls. "We should check out what Pikachu was doing there, if that was Pikachu at all."

"Thank you," Leaf told Zoey with a smile. "I appreciate this, Guardian." Zoey just grinned in response.

"Who'd pass up a chance to save the infamous Veil?" she said in response. "I mean, it's not as if anyone had actually seen your street image before."

Gary froze.

Leaf shot him a glance before laughing. "Well then, I guess it's about time they knew."

"Wait, _what?_ Hold up, _you're_ Veil?" Gary jumped up from his crouch on the ground. "Leaf? Veil? What the heck is your real name? Who are you and have you been playing me for a fool this whole time?" He glared at Leaf, who stared back steadily.

"My real name is Leaf Green, just as yours is Gary Oak," she answered. "But yes, I suppose you'd know me as Veil."

"Y-you look nothing like her!"

"Dye and shadows disguise a girl well." Leaf shrugged. "Are you going to turn me in to the authorities?"

Ignoring her, Gary turned on Zoey. "And you're _Guardian?_ The protector of the legendary Pokemon Uxie?"

Zoey smiled in response.

"Dawn's memory... It was wiped by _you?_ And May's?" Gary was aghast.

"Technically, Uxie did the memory erasing," Zoey said. "But yes, I had Uxie for a while. I gave it up when I ran from the Commander, though. And you can guess where it went."

Gary's mind was going a mile a minute. "You're Veil... You're Guardian... You helped Dawn escape, and you're the one who gave her to Paul... _That's_ the favor you owe him, and Drew recruited _Dawn's_ help when he erased May's memory using the Uxie you had given her? Then Paul took the Uxie and erased _her_ memory and..." He sat down. "I'm so confused." He looked up at Leaf. "Leaf... Veil... Whatever. What the heck is your plan?"

"Destroying the Assassins is already the Commander's plan," Leaf told him. "I'm just going to find a way to protect Dawn and buying us all time for escape."

"Then we'd better get going," Gary conceded, standing back up.

"He's taking it well," Zoey whispered to Leaf, who grinned.

"Yeah well he's Auburn!" She got up too. "Are you sure you don't want to go with us, Guardian? You might want your Uxie back."

Zoey shook her head. "I'll let you do the destroying. I'll stay here."

Leaf hugged her. "Be careful. You don't have Uxie anymore."

"I know. You be safe too."

* * *

><p>"So... Does that change anything?" Leaf finally spoke. It had been hours of silence, and they had almost made it back to the forest that surrounded the academy.<p>

"Change what?" Gary glanced at her. "You're still Leaf. And now that I know you're Veil, that honestly makes me feel a little better."

Leaf looked confused as she tilted her head to the side. "How come?"

"Because now I know I've known you long enough to actually love you." Ever the charmer, Gary's intense gaze made her heart flip.

The ever composed Veil's face turned red as Gary leaned in.

"_Pika-chuuuuuuu!"_ the Electric Mouse screeched, echoing through the trees. Both their heads snapped up.

"That sounds like Ash's!" Leaf exclaimed, hand hovering over a Poke Ball.

"Let's go," Gary decided, grabbing her arm and running towards the sound. A streak of lightning shot up like a beacon ahead of them. He had a Poke Ball out already and threw it as they ran. "Blastoise!"

"Hey! I was going to use _my_ Blastoise!" Leaf sweat dropped.

Gary looked at her for a second. "Are we really going to be arguing about that now?"

"Good point. Nido!" Leaf tossed out a Poke Ball and a Nidoqueen materialized in a flash of red light.

"Wait. I have a Nidoqueen too!" Gary and Leaf looked at each other in surprise.

"Copycat!" Leaf muttered, trying not to giggle.

"As if!" Gary threw back, smirking.

They upped the pace, and their Pokemon ran alongside them.

They stumbled into a clearing where they saw a badly wounded Pikachu glaring defiantly at a Weavile and Honchkrow. A Crobat, Gyarados, and Houndoom were lying unmoving between them.

"The Commander's Pokemon!" Leaf exclaimed.

Gary's eyes quickly assessed the situation. It was clear Pikachu had been fighting for some time, but even though the Electric Mouse had immense strength, even it couldn't fight against that many Pokemon who were also trained to fight til the end.

"Nido! Double Kick!" Leaf shouted.

"Nido-_queen!_" The Nidoqueen leapt forward, kicking at both Pokemon. Weavile dodged to the side and Honchkrow evaded the attack by flying into the air.

"Blastoise! Hydro Pump!" Caught unaware, the blast of water caught Honchkrow and threw it to the ground.

"_Pika!_" Pikachu struck the immobilized Honchkrow with another round of lightning. Hoping it would faint, Leaf and Gary were shocked to see the bird Pokemon rise again, flapping its wet and dirty wings.

"Krow! Krow! Krow!" It flapped its wings directly at them.

They were blasted with a wave of heat, searing them. Leaf could swear her hair had gotten singed.

"Weavile! Weave!" Nido was thrown back by a Night Slash from the weasel-like Pokemon.

"What a surprise," a slightly familiar voice said, clapping. Someone emerged from behind the Pokemon. "Auburn and Veil working together? Could it be that Veil was in fact, _unveiled_?" The person laughed at their own joke.

"No way." Gary's jaw dropped while Leaf's only reaction was to clench her fists.

* * *

><p>Brianna had come through for her, May thought as she sat in a Pokemon Center room, watching the news of her 'death.' The world believed she was dead, which was exactly as they needed to put their plan to action.<p>

The Commander hopefully thought she was dead as well, but that didn't matter as much.

She leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes.

May remembered _everything_.

_"May Maple. How sad are you that you can't remember a specific time in your life?" a man had approached her where she sat on a park bench._

_"How do you know that?" May whirled around._

_"I know Drew. I'm his guardian, for lack of better words." The man smiled at her and indicated the space on the bench beside her. "May I sit?"_

_"Uh, s-sure."_

_"Where was I?" he mused as he took a seat. "Ah yes. I know where Drew is, and I get you your memory back." He showed her a picture of a green-haired boy and May's heart flipped as her subconscious recognized the photo._

_"You can give me my memory?" _

_"On one condition." He looked at her. "Drew is part of an organization where secrets are kept. I can't give you your memory back unless you, too, join."_

_"Deal!" May said impulsively._

_His sudden triumphant smirk startled her. "As a joke, this organization is called 'Assassins.' Fun huh?" His voice was soft, tailored towards the young and gullible. He had her right where he wanted her._

That had been the most impulsive moment of her life. To join the Assassins and thinking it was a joke, simply because she wanted to chase an imaginary face in hopes that he wasn't just that - imaginary.

_"Are you the new recruit?" A russet-haired girl stole to May's side. "The Commander calls you Sapphire."_

_"I-I guess that's my real name," May admitted._

_"So I heard somewhere that you're here just to look for someone," the friendly girl said. "Want to talk about it?"_

_"U-um, it's just someone from my memories that I can't remember that well. I know he's here though." Earlier, she had caught sight of him._

_"Who is it?"_

_"Someone with green hair and emerald eyes" was May's immediate response. She scanned the others around them, trying to find him again, and didn't see the shocked look on the girl's face nor the sharp intake of breath._

_"That would be Forest," she told May._

How many times did she get selective amnesia anyway? About three years in her life and there were missing patches afterwards as well. She was getting _really_ sick of this whole erasing-her-memory-so-she'll-forget-everything-she -ever-knew tactic.

_"Forest!" May yelled, running after him. They were out on the streets of the town, light from the street lamp spilling out on the both of them. She took a second to memorize the attractive lines of his face, the emerald shade of his eyes._

_She could tell he was looking at her, too. There was something between them, something crackling like lightning. Tension was thick._

_"Who are you?" he demanded, even as a flash of recognition flashed across his eyes._

_"M-Sapphire," she answered, using her Assassin nickname in hopes that he'd recognize her face and see through her lie. "Don't you remember me? There's something about you that I know from my past... You gave me roses, a lot of them. I found a letter signed by you and I remember your face from that time."_

_Drew cursed under his breath, but then his demeanor changed completely and he smirked, flicking his hair to the side. "Did you dream about me? I get that a lot," he said arrogantly. "It's okay Sapphire, I'll give you a rose in consolation."_

_"No!" May flushed red in anger and embarrassment. "I know you. Stop lying, you know me too."_

_He dropped his facade almost immediately and walked up to her. His eyes were anguished. "How long has it been, May?"_

_Her breath caught in her throat when he lifted a hand to touch her face. "Too long," she whispered back, not understanding why he looked so upset. "W-what's wrong, Forest?"_

_He withdrew his hand and chuckled harshly. "Forest. You don't know anything, Sapphire. Go back."_

_"Wait," May cried as he turned away. "I know your real name - Drew."_

_Drew stopped moving._

_"I don't remember much, but I remember you. And roses." May blurted out anything she could think of desperately, like she was trying to fix a break in a dam by filling it with as many stones as she could get her hands on. She couldn't let him leave again! "You gave me a lot of roses. I have them all still! And the note you gave me. You called me your Red. I remember."_

_Before she could react, Drew turned to face her and he pulled her towards him, holding her tightly. Stunned, she didn't react at first. Then she slowly relaxed and hugged him back._

_"You know I'm going to have to erase your memory again after this..." he whispered into her ear._

_"Make it worth it," May said, suddenly bold. She was in Drew's arms -_ again,_ her subconscious whispered - and everything felt right. This was where she was supposed to be, she just knew it. It didn't matter that she didn't exactly remember who he was or who he was to her, she was just happy to be with him even though they were awkwardly standing in the middle of the street at night._

_He drew back for a moment, long enough for May to feel disappointed that he hadn't taken her words to heart. However, he smiled a genuine smile. "If you say so," he replied, and he pressed his lips to hers._

May cursed, opening her eyes as she sat up and glared at the wall, pretending it was Drew. He had erased her memory of their second kiss too!

If everything went according to the plan - no, _when_ (think positive, May) - she was going to settle the score with him. He freaking took away her memories! Did _he_ know how awful it was to not be able to recount anything for a span of three years?

Veil would contact her soon, May was sure of it. Then the next stage of their plan would commence.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that's that for this chapter! This has got to be the quickest update ever, lol. Thank eeveeluvr for that, I had to make this appear on her birthday (or at least profile birthday... hehe)<strong>

**Just six questions this time!**

**1) Are you ikarishippers out there satisfied? Oldrival? Contest? (If anyone wants Poke, I'm sorry, that'll be solved later in the story!)**

**2) VEIL WAS UNVEILED YEAH! Opinion? Did you expect that at all?**

**3) Yay May's alive! Brianna's working with her? What? O.o Opinion please!**

**4) What shocked you the most in this chapter?**

**5) What do you think will happen _next_ chapter?**

**6) This story's winding down! I think three more chapters counting the epilogue will wrap Assassin Guardians up for good :o I'm curious, would any of you guys be interested in an extra 'story' that shows the back story of every Assassin mentioned in AG?**

**Review please! And I'm really grateful to those who've stuck by me throughout the writing and rewriting of this story :D**

**Oh, vote on my poll please!**

**~Air**


	13. Jade(d) Eyes

I don't have much to say, but thank you for all the reviews, follows, and faves! They mean a lot :)

_**BEFORE READING THIS, I SUGGEST RE-READING CHAPTER ONE. IT'LL HELP. SORTA.**_

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><p><strong>Chapter Eleven<strong>

_**Jade(d) Eyes**_

* * *

><p>A black hood, covering a pale face. Once-expressive eyes, now empty and emotionless. Fingers wrapped around a Poke Ball, half open. A Water-type Pokemon, curled around the legs of its Trainer.<p>

"No way." Gary couldn't believe his eyes. Beside him, Leaf clenched her fists. Glancing at her, Gary deducted that Leaf hadn't expected this person to appear. And it clearly threw a wrench in her plans.

"Surprised?" The voice was cultured, elegance humming in the two syllable word. Despite the teasing of the person's earlier words, there was no tone whatsoever nor expression on the face.

"Don't mess with me," Gary growled, a hand straying near his belt. "Get out of here and stop acting like that!"

"Gary," Leaf warned, but he didn't hear her. "Don't provoke her."

"I don't care! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Gary snarled at the person opposite them. "You don't belong here. Let us handle this!" He cast a wild look around them at the approaching hostile Pokemon. Leaf had a PokeBall in one hand and a knife in the other, ready to either battle or fight.

There was a rustling of the trees behind the person.

Some emotion finally flickered in the soulless eyes. Sorrow? Regret? Wariness? "But Auburn, I do belong here."

* * *

><p>Moments after they kissed, there was a knocking against the window. Paul and Dawn didn't have time to feel the awkwardness as they shot up, in defensive positions in case it happened to be a threat.<p>

Outside, barely illuminated by its own light, was a Bronzor. Paul's eyes widened as he recognized it, and he opened the window.

"P-Paul! What are you-" Dawn cried out in fear, but he silenced her with a wave of his hand as he looked intently at the Bronze Pokemon. "You know whose it is?"

"It belongs to a friendly Assassin" was all Paul said. The Bronzor bobbed forward, almost as if it was nodding. Then it floated down to the first floor, and looked back up, bobbing once again.

"It wants us to follow it," Dawn realized, quickly tying her hair up to get it out of the way. Paul rolled his eyes but didn't comment on her obvious realization.

Outside, they ran after the Bronzor as it moved at almost breakneck speed. It stopped at a street sign, where someone was waiting. Paul halted easily, but Dawn skidded a few inches and bent over to rest on her knees, panting. She caught Paul looking at her almost in exasperation and she glared.

"What? I'm not as good as you!"

"Whatever."

"Good job, Bronzor," a female voice commended lightly before recalling the said Pokemon. Then she turned to them.

Her features were obscured by a black hood, the only noticeable thing about her - clad head to toe in black - was the light gray regalia on the sleeves and the slight curve of short red hair on either side of the hood.

"You need to save Forest," she told them. She handed them two odd-looking masks. "He's at his mother's graveyard and the Commander has given orders to slay him. Get to him before anything happens or else our plan won't work."

"Got it." Paul nodded, and he pulled a Poke Ball out of his pocket. "Honchkrow!"

"Krow!" the Pokemon screeched as it appeared.

"Bring us to Rosalind's gravestone," Paul directed it, and he held out a hand to Dawn. "Come on."

"O-okay," she said shakily, taking his hand. She looked back at the woman by the street sign. "Thank you?"

The woman removed her hood, revealing a bob of red hair in an irregular style and a pale, delicate face with tired red eyes that watched them as they left. She smiled. "Just take down the Commander, and that's thanks enough."

* * *

><p>A tall young woman, clad in jet-black with light gray insignia on the sleeves and a hood thrown back, glared at her wristwatch with irritated purple eyes. Her hair was set in an unusual duo bun style and of a slightly darker shade than her irises.<p>

"Mars better hurry," she muttered, annoyed.

"Skun, _tank_," her Skuntank agreed, swishing its tail.

She had been ordered by the Commander to plant the roses and the note on Rosalind's grave and set a trap for Forest. For some reason, the Commander had predicted that Forest would come by, and as uncanny as it was, the Commander was correct. Again.

"The fool," she grumbled, watching the green hair of the younger Assassin - the only thing she could see over the gravestones - move around as he presumably caught sight of the fresh red blossoms.

"Tank," Skuntank reminded her. It was time to carry out the next stage of the trap. The young woman sighed.

"Well, you can't say I didn't try. Let's hope Shadow and Platinum get here in time." She rolled her eyes, then glanced to her Pokemon before quickly placing a mask not unlike the one given to Platinum and Shadow on her face. "Skuntank, Poison Gas!"

"Skun!" A trail of noxious purple gas emitted from the tip of the Pokemon's tail and flowed over the graveyard, mixing with the dark fog.

* * *

><p>"Drew! Get up! You have to get out of here!" The green-haired Assassin staggered to his feet as a familiar girl's voice sliced through the heavy mist. His mind wasn't working - all he knew was that he recognized the voice; he couldn't place it. The world spun around him.<p>

_May?_ Drew thought confusedly, his vision blurring. He caught side of vivid blue eyes and reached for her. Before he could touch the phantom girl, his body collapsed to the ground, unable to hold him up any longer.

His vision faded to white, then black.

Dawn ran at him, a strange mask covering her nose and mouth. "What are we going to do? What is this?" she cried out to Paul, who was a step behind her. He also wore the strange-looking mask.

"Isn't it obvious?" he said dryly. "Poisonous gas." Before Dawn began to snap something at him for his sarcastic tone, he frowned. "We have to get him out of here if we want him to live."

"You carry him," Dawn directed.

Paul looked up at her from his position on the ground where he was inspecting Rosalind's grave. His expression clearly stated, _Why should I?_

Dawn glared at him, hands on her hips. "I can't carry him!"

He sighed but acquiesced. "Look at the grave." Dawn followed his direction and knelt down beside where Drew's mother lay resting. Her eyes widened.

"What's that?" she wondered out loud, picking up the bouquet. "_From Sapphire,_" she read, her forehead wrinkling. "That's not her. She'd sign it with a slant instead of a dot over the _I,_ but otherwise that's a perfect forgery of her writing."_  
><em>

"Take it, it's evidence," Paul ordered, before lifting Drew's limp body off the ground. "And let's go before Forest actually dies."

Dawn panicked and raced after him immediately.

* * *

><p>"The poisonous gas failed to exterminate Forest, sir," an Assassin reported to the man behind the curtain. "Shadow and Platinum rescued him before any real damage could be done."<p>

The man cursed and slammed his hands down on the table in front of him. "The Commander won't like that," he growled.

The Assassin smirked, his blue eyes coolly amused. "I'll tell the _Commander_ myself, if you're too much of a pathetic coward to face him." Unlike most Assassins, this one had slightly different wear - instead of all black fitting clothing, the sleeves were a jagged style with light gray regalia, a show of his higher rank than the normal Assassins. He put a strange emphasis on the word "commander" as he spoke.

"No!" the second man snapped. "_I _am of a higher rank than you are; _I_ will report to the Commander personally."

The first one's smirk twisted into something bitter. He'd always hated it when the only two who ranked higher than him reminded him that he was on a lower position. "You won't be for long," he commented as coolly as he could. "You aren't even a real Assassin."

The second man hissed, "You don't know what you're talking about, Saturn."

Saturn's smirk returned fully. "I'm the one who directed the former Commander to you, _Officer Tom._" The strain on the word "commander" hadn't been repeated, a fact Tom didn't notice.

Tom stiffened. "I still rank above you, Saturn. I have done more for this organization than anyone ever has. I deserve some respect." His fists clenched. "I'll go report to the Commander now."

"The current one is no one to fear," Saturn called out after Tom. "It's the former Commander who controls the strings, and we're all merely the puppets."

The officer didn't turn around. "That's where you're wrong, Saturn. The Commander - and by that I mean the current one - is the one who holds all the power. He also has a better plan than just murdering innocents - we're going to cleanse the world of weakness."

"You won't succeed," Saturn remarked. "Your plan has flaws that are easy to expose."

Tom finally turned around to demand why the blue-haired Assassin was so against the Commander's wishes, but then stopped dead as he looked around. Saturn had disappeared.

He shrugged it off and headed down the hallway to report to the Commander.

* * *

><p>"What do you <em>mean<em> she failed?"

The Commander was pacing back and forth in his office. He used one hand to push up his red tinted glasses, from where his eyes balefully glared at Tom.

"I-I'm sorry, sir, but Jupiter reports that Platinum and Shadow m-managed to find Forest b-before the poisonous gas d-did any l-lasting d-damage..." His voice trailed off as Tom realized that the Commander was furious.

"And _how_ did Platinum and Shadow find out?" the Commander snapped, whirling around to face the ex-officer.

"The Shadow Trio," Tom volunteered, thrilled at the prospect of getting Saturn - quote unquote - "in trouble." The Commander chuckled.

"Ever the detective, aren't you?" he remarked. "Of course it was the Shadow Trio. Jupiter would never have failed, Mars has been missing for weeks, and Saturn refuses to take on a single mission."

Tom nodded.

"Ever since the former Commander's disappeared, they'd gone renegade." The Commander's fists clenched. "_I _am the Commander now, curse them! They should still listen to _me_!"

The ex-officer flinched and took a wary step back.

_Despite his age, the current Commander is nothing but a child... One that's easy enough to manipulate._

* * *

><p>"Who <em>are<em> you?" Gary demanded.

The person opposite them looked down, regret flashing momentarily across her face. The trees behind her rustled and someone emerged.

"Rudy," Leaf hissed.

"Don't forget why you're here, Cerulean," Rudy reminded the girl. He addressed Leaf and Gary next. "This is Cerulean. I'm sure Leaf's heard of her, being the legendary Veil and all. Cerulean is the Commander's lethal secret weapon - she'd done all the murders in Veil's, Sapphire's, and the Commander's name across the four regions." He paused. "Although you'd know her by a different name, of course."

Cerulean removed her hood and gazed steadily at them with soulless jade eyes. Straight orange hair fell down her back.

"_Misty?"_ Ash stumbled from his hiding place behind one of the Pokemon. "What the heck? Since when were you an Assassin?"

Cerulean - formerly known as Misty - whirled around, her head snapping to attention at Ash's voice.

"Ash? What are _you_ doing here?" Gary exclaimed, and Leaf resisted the urge to face palm.

"Get away from here, Sky," Cerulean/Misty said coldly. "My fight is not with you."

"Oh yes it is," Rudy laughed. "Cerulean, you've been instructed to destroy _all_ of them. Even if it's your lover boy Ash." He smirked at her. "Remember? You're _mine_ now, the Commander promised."

_How long has Misty been an Assassin? Was her memory erased too? _Leaf scanned the clearing, her mind working quickly. There had to be a way out, a way to get Rudy out of the way and bring Misty - who, as Cerulean, would hopefully _not_ kill them - away with them.

Ash's brown eyes reflected betrayal and fury. As Rudy continued laughing, Ash's fists clenched.

Without warning, the black-haired Assassin flew at Rudy.

A gunshot rang out.

* * *

><p><strong>Voila! :D "Jade(d) Eyes" is finally done!<strong>

**Sorry that took a while, but my computer's been going through issues lately and... Yeah, it took a while. xD**

**Questions:**

**1) Misty's Cerulean! Rudy owns her? What? Opinions!**

**2) Who knew that Misty - the seemingly innocent one - was actually the most guilty of all? What do you think?**

**3) What do you think Veil knows of this mysterious Cerulean?**

**4) What do you make of the 'Shadow Trio' - Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn?**

**5) WHO IS THE (current) COMMANDER?**

**6) What part does (ex-)Officer Tom play in all this?**

**7) Who was the former Commander?**

**8) Oh snap, Ash started a fight and someone shot a gun - what do _you_ think happened?**

**9) Tell me what shocked you the most!**

**_MY POLL'S CLOSED! CHECK IT OUT TO SEE WHAT STORY'S COMING NEXT!_**

_Until next time! :o_


	14. Hearts Dreaming Nightmares

**I'M WRITING AGAIN! HALLELUJAH. **

**If any of my old readers are still out there, well, reading this, I am SUPER grateful to you. You guys have no idea what it means to me - some of you guys have been reading for years! I _will_ finish this. I'm almost done, I've got it all planned out IN DETAIL. I swear it.**

**So, I left you all on a cliffie xD My bad - I hope this chapter helps to make it up even if it's just a fraction.**

**Oh, a song that inspired me to write this is "Poison" by Groove Coverage. I really recommend, if you don't like the song, to at least look up the lyrics: I swear, it fits this perfectly. Just my opinion though c: Same with "Moonlight Shadow", also by (or covered?) by that band. **

**Well, here's chapter 14!**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Chapter 14<strong>

**Hearts Dreaming Nightmares**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Two hearts dreaming nightmares together...<em>**

* * *

><p><em>White-hot. Black. Pain. So much pain.<em>

Like a diver surfacing from water, the eight-year-old girl regained consciousness. Memories were a whirlwind in her brain, mind-numbing, too fast for her to process. Everything hurt - a stabbing, penetrating pain that was both extreme physical and mental.

_Shrill screams, of terror and despair._

_Green eyes reflected fire._

_The flames danced, mocking her._

_Acrid smoke stung her throat._

_Useless splashes of water._

_The sensation of being lifted._

_Fresher air - the mind clearing._

_A blow to her head, stars._

_Names of flowers melded to a cacophony of voices in her brain._

"Wake up!"

An unfamiliar voice broke through the shattered pieces of her memories, and disorientated, the girl opened her eyes. Nothing was in focus, but she could make out the blurred features of the man before her. Sharp blue eyes in a hard expression, nothing that suggested kindness or friendliness. She shrank away, afraid. Her hand landed on something sharp and she felt something slice into her finger - a shard of glass. A single drop of scarlet fell from the crimson line onto her torn, charcoal-covered Goldeen pajamas.

"What happened here?" The man kneeling in front of her asked, and spared a glance at her bleeding finger. "Here." He took her hand and wrapped the bloody appendage in sterile white gauze.

_What happened here?_ The little girl sat up despite her aching head and looked around. What she saw scarred her.

Once upon a time, she had lived in a beautiful mansion with her older sisters. Her parents had died young in a car crash, and she'd been raised by her doting - though their ways of affection were often unconventional - siblings. Now, all that remained was a charred structure. Snow-like debris still floated around her, coating the burnt grassy lawn in layers.

_My fault._

Those two words took root in her mind and instantly, no other thoughts managed to get past it. Like a poisonous seed, she believed it.

_It's all my fault._

The fire had been caused by her. Innocently. A spark that fell where it wasn't supposed to. The argument she'd caused with her oldest sister, the sibling she loved the most but was too childish to admit it.

_My fault my fault my fault._

"W-where are my sisters?" she asked, her voice hoarse from smoke exposure. The man hesitated, and then tilted his head slightly to the left.

A strangled cry tore from the little girl's throat, and she jumped to her feet to race over to where he'd indicated. However, her right leg couldn't support her weight, and she realized, in a jolt of pain, that it was broken. Like her heart.

The remains of her sisters were heaped on the ground like a macabre kindling pile. Charred to the point of unrecognition, all that she could identify were the torn, scorched clothes. The clothes of her siblings. Tears welled up in her eyes.

It wasn't fair. She didn't mean for any of this to happen. It'd be her second elder sister's birthday. All the eight-year-old wanted was to light a candle on her own.

By a fraction of a degree, the man's expression softened. He held out a hand to her - a hand crisscrossed with old white scars. "We're alike, you and I," he told her. "It wasn't our fault that our lives fell apart."

_Not… my fault?_

The little girl desperately wanted to believe it. She wanted to force the bad memories out of her mind - that it _wasn't_ her fault, that she hadn't in any way caused this.

"But… They're dead," she whispered. "And I'm not." A sudden horrible thought occurred to her. "Since I'm alive and they're not, I'm… cursed."

Tears spilled down her cheeks and she whirled around from the man, pounding at the ground. The eight year old was about to throw the biggest tantrum of her life, cursing the world and fate for her disaster.

The man waited emotionlessly for her to expend all her energy before he knelt down beside her. "What is it you want the most in the world?"

Her answer was instantaneous. "For my sisters back."

"A possible wish." His tone was unyielding.

"I don't want anything. I want to die. I want to join my sisters!" Too weary to cry, she hugged her knees and glanced down at the marks her tears left on her sooty legs.

"You're overwhelmed with grief, distraught, believing it's your fault." He continued as if she hadn't spoken - a low, hypnotizing tone. Almost comforting. "Even though it's yourself, you want revenge. You want someone to pay for this."

Against her will, the little girl was taken in by his words. She wanted revenge. She wanted to hurt herself.

As the man explained, the eight year old was at first horrified. Then, as he elaborated, she became enamored by the idea. In short, he was offering her a way to block her memories - to forget the terror of the past, and recreate a future where she could rule the world behind the scenes.

All she had to do was join him. Give all her skills to him to mold, to sharpen, and use.

She agreed.

* * *

><p>From that day forward, she took a new name. Her old self was gone forever - only Cerulean existed.<p>

She immersed herself in the courses the man - who told her to call him "Manny" - had assigned to her. Martial arts from all over the world. Weapons training. In-depth lessons in chemistry, especially in poisons. Stealth. Agility. Psychology. After all, the best way to break a person was from the inside out.

Manny had revealed to Cerulean that the base was a refuge for those who had their lives destroyed too soon, leaving behind only a lasting desire for revenge. Wreaking havoc around them was the best way to alleviate the searing agony that would never heal. Many others like her had joined their ranks, all with horrendous accounts of their families being slaughtered or brutally killed in some way or another, and always, Manny would find and rescue them.

Cerulean was special - or so Manny told her. No one else was so determined to become the perfect killing machine. The former eight year old girl who had seen her sisters burn to death was hell-bent on devastating the world around her, keen on making everyone else feel the same torment she'd gone through as a child. She was thirteen now, with five years of intense, severe training. Manny decided it was time for her to display her talents. Usually dressed in dark, fitting clothing to blend into her surroundings, with a hood to hide her bright hair, she looked completely different from the eight year old girl dressed in Goldeen pajamas.

Various victims fell by her hand. Manny had diverted the media's attention by attributing the deaths to a fellow killing machine trainee, known as Veil. Why, Cerulean was unsure, but she didn't care. It was the action that soothed her cursed soul, not the recognition. However, after at least fifteen murders going under Veil's name, she'd gone to ask Manny why.

"It's an underhanded tactic," Manny had explained. "This way, you can continue to do what you want while someone else gets the heat for it. If you get captured - though I doubt it, as you're my best assassin - it's an easy getaway, as you look nothing like her."

Not long after the twentieth death, rumors began flying around the media about the murderer's appearance. Some described the assassin as a six foot tall adolescent male with blonde hair. Others claimed it was a female with vampire-esque red eyes. Yet more insisted that the murderer had long black hair, or a crown of bloody ornaments, or a white sash cutting his or her body (as the assailant was always clad in black) in half. Eventually the image had been so distorted that the media stopped publishing the witnesses' reports.

Once Cerulean heard the news, she'd laughed. Human stupidity never failed to amuse her.

Manny decided to put it to good use. After all, he'd said, it provided a safe cover for both the girls in question. The most commonly reported traits were the ones that Manny chose, along with a few of the more outlandish ones. Veil was instructed to dye her hair black, wear ice blue contacts, and her attire always consisted of black ensembles with white belts or sashes and an accessory of crimson flowers. It was Manny's idea of a joke on the victims, and the other members of the base.

After the term "Assassins" caught on in media, Manny agreed to use it to refer to the collective group he'd sheltered in the huge, towering building located in the middle of a huge forest inhabited only by wild Pokemon.

No one was aware of Cerulean's existence. Nor were they aware of Veil - until the news broke out about the assassinations. The two girls hardly knew each other either. Every time they met, their hair was hidden by hoods. Their faces obscured by shadows. The only recognizable trait would be their voices and their mannerisms, but even those would change over the course of the next few years.

Another of Manny's young female wards was a girl by the name of Brianna, who'd been taken in when Cerulean had been eleven. Brianna's story was as tragic as Cerulean's - parents slaughtered, the ten year old left for dead. Brianna had been in shock for the first week she'd joined, but soon adapted to the Assassin way. Preferring a more flashy style than Cerulean, Brianna dressed well and chose to bloodlessly kill her victims with poisons. The poisons alone were manufactured by her - though a girly looking ten year old, the good looks and childish demeanor hid a sadistic personality and was a mastermind at concocting deadly serums.

Cerulean and Brianna never got along. They could never agree on the best fighting style or how to deal with their pain. Cerulean blocked it entirely from her mind, liking to lose herself in action. Brianna on the other hand brooded about the past often and released her suffering often - on fellow Assassins as well as victims.

Brianna hadn't picked a different name yet, although Cerulean had scoffed at her and told her she needed something to prove her 'flashy style.' When Brianna's heart was caught by a boy Assassin, her nickname was chosen.

One of Manny's Assassins had turned rogue and fled the Assassin base. Consequently, Manny put out the word that the rogue's wife would be the collateral damage - something Cerulean didn't understand. If it'd been her, she'd have located the rogue and tortured him instead, but she had no say in the matter. When word came out that the wife had a son, Manny wasted no time in recruiting him into the Assassins as well. The same age as Brianna, and attractive for his age, Brianna fell head over heels. After researching into the boy's life - who had taken the name _Forest _- Brianna and Veil (who had become friends) had discovered a few things about him. Forest was the last name of his father - something that irked Manny - and his real name was Drew. Drew's mother had been named Rosalind, which led to Drew's love for roses. Last but not least, Drew had a thing with some girl back in his hometown.

Brianna's first course of action was to choose her name - _the Deadly Rose_. Veil and Cerulean could agree on one thing: cliche. But Brianna was nothing if not a romantic with fatal poisons up her sleeve. Her second decision was also instantaneous. Drew's old girlfriend had to die.

The concept of love was foreign to Cerulean. After losing her sisters, Cerulean had wanted nothing to do with emotional pain.

Forest's old girlfriend turned out to have no recollection of Forest, so begrudgingly Brianna had to let her live.

* * *

><p>For years, Cerulean worked hard. She killed without remorse or questions. She worked, trained, obeyed.<p>

She wanted to be Manny's favorite. She _deserved _to be his favorite.

When Cerulean thought she didn't want anything to do with emotions, she'd been lying. What she craved was to be loved, and she believed it came by as approval. Manny's favorite was _Veil_. Veil, who had done absolutely nothing.

Veil sat in the Assassin base all her life, training and thinking.

Veil had bloodless hands, had never stalked or killed a real person before.

She had done _nothing_ to gain Manny's approval. Yet she was still his favorite.

It incensed Cerulean. _Veil deserved to die.__  
><em>

But there was nothing she could do about it unless she wanted to lose all Manny's approval. Instead, she simply agreed readily to everything he asked of her.

His last task for her was for her to become his secret, lethal weapon. Cerulean was to assume her original identity as Misty Waterflower, and walk among the living once more.

* * *

><p>Veil had never wanted to kill anyone. She hadn't wanted to be an Assassin.<p>

But she'd never had a choice - because Veil alone knew who the Commander of the Assassins was.

_Her father._

Granted, Veil looked nothing like the Commander. She had light brown hair and green eyes - he had none of those. Where Veil was tanned, his complexion was pale. Their only similarity came from their height: both had tall builds.

The Commander didn't love her mother, not really. Veil knew who he _had_ loved, and that was his ex-wife, a woman who had left him once she realized who he really was. Veil's mother was a poor young woman who had hero-worshipped the Commander for saving her from the streets, and had been too eager to repay him.

Veil didn't blame the Commander. It wasn't as if she hated him, but she didn't think of him as her father.

However, he thought of her as his daughter. The Commander told her that she might succeed him one day as head of the Assassins, as if it was an heirloom that she'd want.

All she wanted was to escape. The life of killing wasn't for her. But Veil was practical, and she knew the Commander would stop at nothing to get her back. To truly be free, she'd have to bring down the entire organization.

To start with, she researched the start of the organization. Fifteen years before Veil was born, the Commander had been in love with a woman who'd left him. In a fit of rage and fury, he tried to find her, but she'd disappeared.

The argument that the Commander and his ex-wife had had had* been terrible. Both had exchanged blows and cutting words, and the Commander had been destroyed inside when he ultimately realized that the person he had loved more than anything in the entire world - besides his nature - had hated everything he was.

This anguish had caused the Commander to nearly go insane, although no one would know by looking or interacting with him. From the outside, the Commander was almost irrationally calm and a master at planning strategy. However, the festering bitterness had led him to organize this Assassin organization - for everyone had to feel his pain.

However, he was unable to continue his position as Commander of the Assassins once he found out his ex-wife had a daughter.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Leaving nothing more, nothing left to say...<em>**

* * *

><p>*(AN: Tell me that's not grammatically correct. I love that sentence. "Had had had.")

The lyrics used in this chapter ("Two hearts dreaming nightmares together/leaving nothing more, nothing left to say") is from a song by the Birthday Massacre, called "Two Hearts." I thought it fit, because this whole stupid Assassin thing was because of a love splitting ('two hearts') and basically everyone in the Assassin base has had their hearts ripped out, stomped on, and they didn't have a say in any of it.

What did you guys think? Advice?

My usual questions:

1) What did you think of Misty's backstory? (Misty = Cerulean)

2) What did you think of Leaf/Veil's? Does it make more sense?

3) Who is the original Commander?

4) Since the original Commander stepped down, _who is the current one?_

5) Guess who the daughter is!

6) Did anything 'fall into place' once you read this?

Stay tuned!


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